Cillian Murphy may have just taken a page out of the method school of acting for his latest role, going for a subtle but completely transformative change to his appearance.
The Irish actor and Oscar winner, 49, will next be seen in Netflix's thrilling drama Steve, based on the best-selling novel Shy by Max Porter, who also wrote the film.
He will star alongside Tracey Ullman, Jay Lycurgo, Simbi Ajikawo, and Emily Watson, and nearly two months ahead of its release on the streamer, fans are stunned by his transformation.
Per Tudum: "Cillian Murphy has played a physicist, a supervillain, and a gangster: Now he's playing Steve. Based on Max Porter's bestselling novel Shy, Steve is the story of a head teacher facing the impending closure of the reform school where he works, told in parallel with the struggle of one of his students (Lycurgo)."
Fans of the actor are already expressing their excitement at seeing him back on their screens, as well as his new bushy beard, which takes away some of his usual polish and allows him to blend into his character even deeper.
"Cillian Murphy... YES! Never fails to bring it," one commented, with another saying: "Looks awesome! Anything with Murphy carries weight at this point," and a third simply adding: "Oh my Cillian." One even quipped: "Bearded Tommy Shelby is something I didn't know I needed."
Steve will first receive a premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival in its Platform Prize section, before dropping on Netflix on October 3, 2025 (aka Mean Girls Day aka The Life of a Showgirl release day).
The plot of the film, which is set in the mid-'90s, further reads: "The film follows a pivotal day in the life of head teacher Steve and his students at a last-chance reform school amid a world that has forsaken them."
"As Steve fights to protect the school's integrity and prevent its impending closure, he grapples with his own mental health. In parallel to Steve's struggles, we meet Shy, a troubled teen caught between his past and what lies ahead as he tries to reconcile his inner fragility with his impulse for self-destruction and violence."
Speaking with Deadline, the Oppenheimer star opened up about how involved he was in developing his character and his collaboration with author and writer Max Porter.
"We don't do small talk, we go straight into it," he shared. "I gotta say, it was one of the most kind of exposing and terrifying characters I've ever played, because it was written bespoke for me by Max, but also had, I think, quite a lot of him in there… There's elements that I feel like, you know, there was no accent."
While he has other projects on the docket as well, such as a Peaky Blinders movie and the 28 Days franchise, he declared his intent to take some time off post-Steve.
"I'm kind of taking the year off. I'm doing this work, but I'm not actually acting on anything, which is nice for a while. I'm just waiting for [Steve director Tim Mielants] to cast me in his next film," he said.