Cillian Murphy has explained how the specifics of his new Netflix film, Steve, caused him to change his approach to acting after a wildly successful run which saw him snag an Academy Award.
The Irish actor's latest project, based on Max Porter's 2023 novella Shy, is currently enjoying a limited cinema release before dropping on the streaming service next month (3 October).
It stars Murphy as the titular character, a headteacher at a school for boys with societal and behavioural difficulties. For the pupils, it's seen as their last chance; for Steve, it's slowly eating away at him, despite his humorous façade.
Directed by Tim Mielants and adapted by Porter himself, Steve sees Murphy collaborate with the screenwriter once again following their work on the stage in Grief Is the Thing with Feathers.
In an interview with Metro, Murphy revealed that he eschewed his traditional approach to acting for his latest role, with the actor explaining that he reduced the amount of preparation he undertook for the part.
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"I tried to take a completely different approach to the whole process for this one," he explained. "Generally, I lock myself away for a long time, I research and read like a mad thing, and you’re developing an accent and a physicality.
"I love it, and I really go deep into it, and it's very, very private – I don't talk to people – and then, bit by bit, I begin to share it with the director."
"But with this one, because of all of what Max just said, I thought I'm just going to turn up and be completely available and completely responsive to what's happening," he continued.
"I felt the best way to prepare for this is just to be completely present in every moment and try and absorb what’s happening to the character as it's happening."
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Featuring Emily Watson and Tracey Ullman, Steve has received a generally positive response from critics thus far, with Rotten Tomatoes reporting an approval rating of 77% from 47 reviews.
"It’s darkly funny and thought-provoking – and as nail-biting as you might expect," opined Rolling Stone Magazine, while Empire Magazine called it a "rallying, railing portrayal of a broken education system."
Steve is out now in selected cinemas and will be released on Netflix on 3 October.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
