Several days ago, we learned that the stars of “Barbenheimer” would be paired for Variety’s Actors on Actors series. Cillian Murphy and Margot Robbie got their own Variety cover and they got to interview each other about their respective hit summer films. I wondered how it came together, then Variety editor/journalist Ramin Setoodeh noted on Twitter that when they were putting together this year’s series, Cillian’s people reached out and asked if Cillian could be paired with Margot. I LOVE IT.
You sort of wouldn’t know it from the video and print interview, that Cillian was the one who wanted this. Maybe Cillian knows himself and understands his introverted nature, because Margot did most of the talking and he seemed quite happy with that. The video is better than the print interview though – you can see that Cillian is quite engaged with whatever Margot is saying, even if he’s mostly just saying “yeah, yeah, oh.” It helps that Margot is a big Cillian Murphy fan too, and she’s a Peaky Blinders super-fan.
Margot also confirmed that Oppenheimer producer Chuck Roven called her and tried to convince her to change Barbie’s release date. She said: “I was like, ‘We’re not moving our date. If you’re scared to be up against us, then you move your date.’” You can read the Variety piece here, but I would recommend the video:
Cillian Murphy: “I do know what a meme is. Now I know that there are memes about me not knowing what a meme is.”
“It’s a great meme,” says Margot Robbie. “It’s like ‘Inception’ of memes.” #ActorsOnActors https://t.co/5IwVjNmFK0 pic.twitter.com/0Opsdyf7m7
— Variety (@Variety) December 5, 2023
Margot Robbie tells Cillian Murphy an ‘Oppenheimer’ producer asked her to move the ‘Barbie’ release date to avoid competition:
“I was like, ‘we’re not moving our date, if you’re scared to be up against us then you move your date – I was like, I think this is actually a great… https://t.co/qY1s9ffc57
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) December 5, 2023
Cover courtesy of Variety.
Aww, this was so sweet. I know there are people who think Cillian can be a bit sterile. But I genuinely believe he just does not want to be a public figure and went as far as to move his entire family back to their small Irish village once he realised his kids sounded like Londoners
So seeing him interact with Margot and engage in such a fun, relaxed, chilled way was a pleasant surprise
Kudos to Margot for getting Cillian to speak so warmly and be so *real*
I think perhaps I’ve watched those press interviews with him where he does not GAF and is “for the love of all that is holy, please get me TF out of here”
I agree he seems so engaged with her! These clips have been all over my tiktok they are both so charming
I LOVE the interview clip of him where the interviewer says something to him and the other person interviewed (maybe someone from PB?) like “so you’re both English” and CM goes “no I’m Irish.” So the guy says “well okay so British” and CM is just like no, IRISH.
Love that clip Becks! Also Tom Hardy’s “eek” face at the reporter digging a deeper hole!
🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ I always forget its Tom Hardy in that interview too LOL.
I realize they’re both brilliant. On a purely superficial level – they’re both peak attractive and it’s mesmerizing to watch them together. Someone cast them in a steamy romance, please!
I lurved Oppenheimer,my kinda movie and a huge Nolan fan. I never understood why it was a a big showdown between these two movies cause i assume the aiudiences would be quite different. Either way Barbie definitely had one of the moat amazing marketing campaigns in recent history.
Thomas Shelby foreva!! Can we talk about just HOW GREAT Tom Hardy was in Peaky Blinders?!
ROBIE: You’ve done five movies with Christopher Nolan now, right?
MURPHY: This is six, actually.
ROBBIE: So you like the guy? A big fan.
MURPHY: It seems to work.
Ha. I also agree with Margo that either you’ve seen and are obsessed with Peaky Blinders and Thomas Shelby or you just haven’t seen it yet. No in between.
I think it was an interesting competition that ended up benefiting both movies hugely. There’s so much talk about Barbie’s success (as there should be) but Oppenheimer also killed it at the box office, considering its a 3 hour biopic that jumps around time-wise and we all know how the big question in the movie (building the bomb) turned out.
I enjoyed Barbie and thought it was fun and delightful, a perfect summer movie. Oppenheimer was probably one of the top 10 movies I’ve ever seen though. And I think that dichotomy of sorts ended up working out really well. Some people want to see that perfect summer movie. Some people want to see 3 hour biopics IF they are well done. and sometimes the same people want to see both. We can enjoy both the fun summer movie and the more serious movie about the man behind atomic bomb. It’s not either/or.
Fabulous recommendation – captivating conversation with interesting insight to background thought process of film making and preparing for a role.
Would be great to see them do a movie together.
He is the only creature besides a cat that has harnessed the power of the slow blink. ❤
😂
Okay confession time…I haven’t seen either of these movies 😬. But I’m home with the stomach flu and Barbie’s sounding kinda good 😊
Sorry to hear that and I hope you’re feeling better soon.
Just be warned, if it hits the spot for you Barbie will make you laugh HARD which might not be so much fun with stomach flu.
I like him as an actor and yeah am one of ‘those’ people who haven’t seen Peaky Blinders yet!!
I love love Peaky Blinders. Can’t wait for a second season or a prequel. I hear both are in the making.
Do not confuse Cillian with Cillian . It might not have been his suggestion, but PR, agents and studios.
that was a really enjoyable watch! thanks for covering it.
guess I’m going to have to check out Peaky Blinders, finally. Oppo is not my jam. I’m sure it’s brilliant but I studied the Manhattan Project at Uni and I know it will give me nightmares.
however I got Barbie on DVD and am looking forward to seeing it again!