Happy birthday, Cillian Murphy! Here’s some unseen shots from his Rolling Stone UK cover shoot

As Cillian Murphy celebrates his birthday today (May 25), we’ve decided to mark the occasion by treating the actor’s fans to a present of their own – a selection of unseen pictures from his Rolling Stone UK cover shoot.

The actor, who marks his 47th birthday today, is the current cover star of our June/July issue, which sees him opening up about his titular role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer – which chronicles the story of the man who created the world’s first atomic bomb.

“I think it’s the best script I ever read,” he said of the film.

Offering some hints to his characterisation of Oppenheimer, Murphy added: “With that intellect — which I think can actually be a burden — you’re not seeing stuff in the normal plane that we do. Everything is multifaceted and about to collapse. It’d be a terrible way to buy milk or cut the grass, I’d say.”

Nolan himself also hailed Murphy’s depiction of the controversial physicist.

“His ability to project power applies in a completely different way to a character like Oppenheimer, because Oppenheimer is this extraordinary strategic brain,” said Nolan. “There are all these levels of intention that are going on with the actions he’s taking, and he’s surrounded by people. So, the audience becomes members of this community who are hanging on to his every word, studying his every gesture, to try and understand it.”

The unseen photos, meanwhile, provide three close up looks at the actor’s distinctive and instantly recognisable face.

Elsewhere in the interview, Murphy also opened up on the prospect of the much-mooted Peaky Blinders movie, after the show’s conclusion on the small-screen.

The iconic gangster series concluded with its dramatic sixth season late last year, but creator Steven Knight has long suggested that it will return in the future for a one-off film that shows the next chapter of Tommy Shelby (Murphy)’s life and criminal empire.

“If there’s more story there, I’d love to do it,” he said. “But it has to be right. Steve Knight wrote 36 hours of television, and we left on such a high. I’m really proud of that last series. So, it would have to feel legitimate and justified to do more.”

Taken from issue 11 of Rolling Stone UK, out May 11. Buy your copy here. Oppenheimer is released 21 July.