Under The Radar

As the tortured creator of the atomic bomb in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, the unassuming Irish actor Cillian Murphy is shortly to embark on his starriest film role to date. But first, there is the bruising business of bidding farewell—perhaps forever (perhaps, tantalisingly, not?)—to another tormented man of violence: the terrifying Tommy Shelby, of Peaky Blinders. At home in Dublin, on the eve of the final series, Murphy reflects on his years as one of TV’s greatest-ever gangsters and the tragic loss of his co-star, the ‘magnificent’ Helen McCrory.

- Miranda Collinge

To illustrate quite how low-key the person I’m going to be writing about is, let me start by telling you about someone else. Let me tell you about Martin. Martin is the taxi driver the fates assign me at Dublin Airport when I arrive in Ireland the day before the interview with the person I’m going to be writing about. Once the car doors are closed, Martin wastes no time in indicating to me that he, like the person I’m going to be writing about, is a little bit famous. Unlike that person, Martin is not low-key.

“Google ‘Dublin taxi-driver same-sex marriage’,” he instructs me, as we careen southwards into the city. But I don’t need to, because Martin’s already telling me about the time in 2015 when he was asked by an Australian news channel for his views on the imminent referendum in Ireland, deciding whether to permit same-sex marriage. His response, described by the reporter as “trademark Irish humour”, was this: “I’m in favour of same-sex marriage because I’ve been having the same sex with the wife for the last 30 years.” It got “millions of views on YouTube”, Martin says, but apparently his wife wasn’t too happy. “It was actually 35 years,” he admits. Classic Martin.

And what brings me to Dublin, Martin wants to know? Well, Martin, I’m interviewing an actor. Irish. Lives here.

“I’m a film buff,” Martin says.

Okay, then! Have a guess.

“Gabriel Byrne.”

No.

“Brendan Gleeson.”

No.

“Liam Neeson?” Still no, but he’s been in films with all thr—

“GOBSHIIIIITE!!” Martin yells out of the window at a woman crossing the road in front of his taxi, who scrambles back to the curb.