Cillian Murphy Talks 'Steve'

Summary

Podcast Summary: Cillian Murphy Talks 'Steve'

Podcast: All Of It | Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Date: December 31, 2025
Guest: Cillian Murphy
Film Discussed: Steve (Directed by Tim Mealance, streaming on Netflix)

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the making and meaning of Steve, a new film starring Cillian Murphy as a headteacher at a British reform school for boys, navigating a spiraling day of crises. The conversation delves into Murphy's approach to acting and producing, his collaboration with director Tim Mealance, the challenges and rewards of working with young actors, and the ambiguous, open-ended nature of the film's story. The interview also touches on Murphy's enduring connection to his role in Peaky Blinders.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Making of Steve: Production Choices & Process

• Quick Production Cycle

  • The adaptation from book to script to filming took about six months.

    "I'd say about maybe six months. It was pretty quick."
    —Cillian Murphy (02:34)

• Benefits of a Short, Chronological Shoot

  • The film was shot on a tight schedule and in sequence, thanks in part to lessons Murphy learned from Ken Loach, making it emotionally accessible, especially for young actors.

    "Particularly for a story like this... it's very hard to sustain that, certainly for this character, that level of kind of charged anxiety and kind of live it."
    —Cillian Murphy (02:47)

  • Shooting sequentially meant the actors could experience events like their characters—in the order they occurred.

    "They're accumulating the information emotionally as they go along, as per the character."
    —Cillian Murphy (04:31)

Collaboration with Director Tim Mealance

• Working Relationship and Trust
  • Murphy calls Mealance "a magician," and credits their mutual trust with creating a safe space for creative risk-taking.

    "[Tim] is a real, real artist... I'd work with him forever... We have a massive understanding and trust together, you know." (05:51, 05:54, 06:05)

  • On feeling safe with a director:

    "Just feeling safe to experiment, feeling safe to try things out, you know, to make mistakes. Sometimes mistakes are kind of portal to real creativity, I think."
    —Cillian Murphy (06:34)

Portraying 'Steve': Character Insights and Philosophy

• A Day in the Life, Acting Philosophy

  • Murphy approached the role by reacting in each moment, since so much is thrown at the character unexpectedly throughout the day.

    "It was more about reacting than acting, if you know what I mean." (07:09)
    "The best way to do it was not to plan anything and just to be completely open to what I received, really."
    —Cillian Murphy (08:02)

• The Calling of Teaching and Personal Connection

  • Murphy relates to Steve’s vocation as both his parents were teachers. He sees the work as driven by a genuine desire to help kids who have been ignored or abandoned.

    "I think it's a vocational job. I think you kind of need to do this thing and you have a drive in you to help people or to help children in this case."
    —Cillian Murphy (08:57)

  • What draws someone like Steve to the job:

    "If you can reach that kid and make him or her feel seen... that level of satisfaction keeps bringing people back to it."
    —Cillian Murphy (09:53)

• Personal Cost of Care

  • Steve sacrifices his own well-being for his students.

    "He's probably not caring for himself in any way. And, you know, so he's minding all these kids and the school is falling apart and it’s underfunded... So I think the last thing he's thinking about is himself."
    —Cillian Murphy (10:08)

• Day-to-Day Hope vs. Grand Ambitions

  • Steve just wants the boys to feel "okay"—today and tomorrow—especially to feel valued in a world that has often dismissed them.

    "I think he wants them to feel like they are valued and that they are valued in the school and then hopefully valued by society..."
    —Cillian Murphy (10:55)

Working With Young Actors

• Energy and Inspiration
  • The commitment and natural energy of the young cast inspired Murphy.

    "They gave me a real shot in the arm, you know, their commitment and their energy for it... So I kind of thrived off their energy."
    —Cillian Murphy (11:39)

  • On what he learned:

    "Just their life, the life that they have and that sense of potential that kind of gets eroded and as you get older, I suppose."
    —Cillian Murphy (12:04)

Notable Cast: Tracey Ullman

• On Working With Tracey Ullman

  • Murphy admires Ullman’s depth as a dramatic actress and the personal warmth she brought to set.

    "She's just an icon, and she's just also a beautiful human being. She's a really caring, kind, soulful person who happens to be hilariously funny, but is a brilliant dramatic actor and just doesn't get to kind of show that off much."
    —Cillian Murphy (12:38)

• Character Dynamics

  • Ullman’s character is Steve’s confidante—someone he tells more to than his own wife, a relationship essential for his survival.

    "I think she’s his most important confidante and friend in the world... I think he compartmentalizes everything."
    —Cillian Murphy (13:10)

• The 'Tricky World' of Addiction

  • Compartmentalization allows Steve to rationalize his addictions and secrets.

    "That's the kind of tricky world of addiction. You know, everything becomes justified, I think."
    —Cillian Murphy (13:52)

Steve and Shai: Parallel Journeys

• Mirroring Pain and Potential

  • Steve and student Shai are "two sides of a coin"—both sensitive and talented, but unable to reach each other as their crisis unfolds.

    "Events trigger them both into this kind of sort of breakdown, and they're sort of circling around each other, and they both really care for each other, but they can't reach each other."
    —Cillian Murphy (14:27)

• Seeing the Good In Others

  • Steve sees potential in Shai, especially his love for music, but tries to see the best in everyone.

    "I think he sees the best in people. He's not one of those people."
    —Cillian Murphy (15:21)

Interpretations and Ambiguity of the Film’s Ending

• Open-Ended Storytelling

  • The film is deliberately ambiguous, allowing audiences to bring their own experiences to the ending.

    "It's not meant to be in any way prescriptive. It's meant to be ambiguous entirely and open to interpretation."
    —Cillian Murphy (15:47)

  • On audience finishing the story:

    "I really enjoy that in art, where it's the audience finishes the story rather than the storytellers."
    —Cillian Murphy (16:26)

• Contrasting Home and Work Life

  • After a harrowing day, Steve returns to a loving family—further complicating viewers’ perceptions of his character.

    "Yeah, he's raising girls when he's minding boys."
    —Cillian Murphy (17:04)

Peaky Blinders: Longevity and Character Growth

• What Keeps Him Coming Back
  • The writing is the main draw, and the chance to inhabit a character across 12 years is rare and rewarding.

    "The writing was the... Always the draw because it was exceptional writing. And I'm always attracted to good writing."
    —Cillian Murphy (17:34)

  • "You get to age with that character and... You can go to places you never normally would really."
    —Cillian Murphy (17:57)

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• On Chronological Filming:

  "If it's your first time making a film, you know, it's like life. You're gathering it in a linear fashion rather than a crazy, all over the place fashion." —Cillian Murphy (04:31)

• On Collaboration and Safety:

  "Feeling safe to experiment, feeling safe to try things out, you know, to make mistakes. Sometimes mistakes are kind of portal to real creativity, I think." —Cillian Murphy (06:34)

• On Teaching:

  "If you can reach that kid and make him or her like, feel seen... that level of satisfaction keeps bringing people back to it." —Cillian Murphy (09:53)

• On Addiction and Compartmentalization:

  "That's the kind of tricky world of addiction. You know, everything becomes justified, I think." —Cillian Murphy (13:52)

• On Art and Interpretation:

  "It's not meant to be in any way prescriptive. It's meant to be ambiguous entirely and open to interpretation." —Cillian Murphy (15:47)

• On Character Development (Peaky Blinders):

  "You get to age with that character... you can go to places you never normally would really." —Cillian Murphy (17:57)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:24–04:54] – On the film’s quick production and benefits of chronological shooting.
• [05:08–06:34] – Working relationship with Tim Mealance and the importance of trust.
• [06:48–08:31] – Acting approach: reacting vs. acting; working with less backstory.
• [08:53–10:50] – Motivations for teaching, and what Steve sacrifices for the students.
• [11:35–12:18] – Energizing experience of working with young actors.
• [12:38–13:32] – Reflections on Tracey Ullman’s role and the dynamics of compartmentalization/addiction.
• [14:18–15:36] – Steve’s relationship with Shai and how they mirror each other.
• [15:36–17:04] – Ambiguity of the film’s ending and audience interpretation.
• [17:15–18:14] – Longevity with Peaky Blinders: the power of writing and aging with a character.

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Memorable Moments

• The revelation that Murphy personally draws on his family background in teaching to inform his role.
• The discussion of shooting sequentially for authenticity, and the emotional benefits for young actors.
• Murphy’s candid thoughts on art's ambiguity: leaving space for the audience’s interpretation.
• The touching acknowledgment of how being surrounded by energetic young actors reinvigorates an experienced artist.
• The gentle humor and camaraderie during the discussion of Tracey Ullman’s serious, yet deeply human, character.

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Conclusion:
This episode is a thoughtful exploration of how Steve came together—both technically and emotionally. Cillian Murphy gives insight into his craft, the power of collaboration, and the importance of vulnerability, trust, and ambiguity in art. The conversation balances insight into the filmmaking process with a sensitivity to the themes of teaching, dedication, and the complex inner lives of those who care for society’s most vulnerable.

Transcript

[Alison Stewart]

You're listening to all of it on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. As we look back at 2025, we here at all of It wanted to try something a little different this year. Usually we spend the next few days presenting a roundup of what our staff thinks was the best cultural moments from the year, from TV to art to theater.

[Cillian Murphy]

But.

[Alison Stewart]

But this year we wanted to let the listeners decide. More specifically, our Instagram followers. You can follow along at all of at wnyc. So we're spending today's show talking about the movies that our Instagram followers were the most excited about this year. Later this hour, we'll talk about the smash hit vampire movie Sinners with actor Wunmi Moussaku, who plays Annie in the film. And then director Bing Lu and actor Fred Hechinger discuss their movie preparation for the Next Life, which follows the love story between an American American soldier and a Uyghur Muslim immigrant. But first, let's get this started with Cillian Murphy. In the new film Steve. Cillian Murphy stars as a man having a very, very bad day. Steve is the head teacher at a reform school for boys in Britain. His pupils are funny and angry and talented and explosive. On this particular day, a journalist and her camera crew are at the school to do a story on the students. The kids are very excited to be on camera, Steve less so. Things go downhill fast. When one of Steve's favorite students, a kid named Shai, has a terrible phone call with his mother. He starts to act out with the camera crew rolling. To make matters worse, Steve receives troubling news about the future of the school. All of this swirls together into a toxic stew. And when a crisis with Shai arrives, Steve isn't fully prepared to handle it. Steve marks the latest collaboration between Cillian Murphy and director Steve Milantz. They've worked together on Peaky Blinders and on the film Small Things like these. You can stream Steve now on Netflix. Here's my conversation with Cillian Murphy.

[Interviewer]

So, Kelian, this all happened fairly quickly. It went from a book to a script to shooting. How long did that take?

[Cillian Murphy]

I'd say about maybe six months. It was pretty quick.

[Interviewer]

What do you like or what's good about shooting in such a quick style?

[Cillian Murphy]

Well, I always prefer a shorter shoot than a long shoot, particularly for a story like this. It's very hard to sustain that, certainly for this character, that level of kind of charged anxiety and kind of live it. And I was also a producer on this film, so I was Kind of double jobbing. And so a nice brief shoot was probably the best in this instance.

[Interviewer]

What did you learn about producing, making Steve that you maybe didn't know before?

[Cillian Murphy]

Oh, gosh. Well, I kind of employed a few things or a few approaches on this film that I'd learned many years ago when I was working with Ken Loach. And one of which, we managed to shoot the film chronologically and sequentially. And that was massively beneficial to us and to the. To the younger actors and to the crew. And, you know, ultimately that's what you do if you could, with every film. But just logistically, it doesn't make any sense if you're moving around the place. But we're in one location, so we managed to do it. And then there's a few other tricks. Like we. The scene where this. The head of the trust comes to tell them the school is shutting down. We had never encountered those actors or met them or rehearsed with them or seen them. And the first time they walk into the room is the first time we'd ever seen them. So the scene was incredibly charged and incredibly adrenalized when it happened. And there are the takes that we used in the film. And that's a kenlo tactic.

[Interviewer]

That's interesting that you shot chronologically. Why would that be useful to young actors?

[Cillian Murphy]

Well, because, you know, you're not jumping around the schedule all the time, shooting the end first, you know, so they're accumulating the information emotionally as they go along, as per the character. And so it just say, if it's your first time making a film, you know, it's like life. You're gathering it in a linear fashion rather than a crazy, all over the place fashion.

[Interviewer]

And is that something that you learned.

[Alison Stewart]

To develop as an actor in film?

[Cillian Murphy]

I mean, you can't do it normally, but I had the luxury of doing it once. So if any time I can, I'll try and do it.

[Interviewer]

Tell me about working with your director. You've worked with him before?

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah, this is our third piece of work together. He's a magician, really. I'm, like, kind of in awe of what he does. We worked together on series three of Peaky Blinders. And, you know, it was a very piece, different piece of work because it's quite, you know, broad in some ways, and it's very kind of aggressive and loud. And whereas this film had to be very, very sensitive and delicate. And I could see that he had all those skills. He's a real, real artist. And we had made this Other film together called Small Things like these. And actors absolutely adore working with him.

[Interviewer]

And what's his name again?

[Cillian Murphy]

Tim Mealance.

[Interviewer]

I'm glad you said it. Tim Mealance.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Cillian Murphy]

And so, I mean, I'd work with him forever. He's just. We have a massive understanding and trust together, you know.

[Alison Stewart]

Why do you trust him?

[Interviewer]

Why do you trust him?

[Alison Stewart]

No one's.

[Cillian Murphy]

Well, you learn that through work and experience, you know, and you know that he'll be there to protect me. He's not gonna kind of let me down and I'm not gonna let him down. And we, we have a shared taste, I think, and, and we really care about each other. And therefore when you go to do the work, you feel safe.

[Alison Stewart]

That's interesting. Feeling safe for an actor. What does that mean exactly?

[Cillian Murphy]

Just feeling safe to experiment, feeling safe to try things out, you know, to make mistakes. Sometimes mistakes are kind of portal to real creativity, I think. And so you have to be in a safe environment to do that.

[Alison Stewart]

We're talking to Cillian Murphy about his new film, Steve. He produced it as well. We get this glimpse into Steve's life at work. Not so much his backstory, not so much what's going on with him outside of the school. In your head, did you have a sense of Steve's backstory?

[Cillian Murphy]

I mean, to a degree. Like the way the film is structured is that it's a day in the life. So it begins at like 8 o' clock in the morning on one day and it finishes at the same time the next day. And so really what all you need to know about the characters is what you receive on the screen. And so a lot of the younger actors had a whole kind of constellation of lives worked out for them. And then I talked an awful lot to the writer, Max Porter about Steve, but ultimately for me it wasn't about. It was more about reacting than acting, if you know what I mean.

[Alison Stewart]

This, this particular job, because you had to react because.

[Cillian Murphy]

Well, because like that's the way that his day unfolded was. Oh, I didn't realize that the, that the documentary crew were coming. Oh my God, there's a member of parliament coming. And, and he's one of these people that's constantly not. Doesn't has a deficit of time, a deficit of sleep, a deficit of budget. You know, he's over caffeinated. So I felt that the best way to do it was not to plan anything and just to be completely open to what I received. Really.

[Alison Stewart]

When he realizes that the documentary crew is gonna be there the look in your eyes is just like, oh, crap, I can't believe this happened.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah, we've all been there, right?

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

What do you think? Why do you think Steve has come to this job? This job, being a teacher at a school for at risk boys?

[Cillian Murphy]

Well, you know, both my parents are retired teachers now. They all.

[Alison Stewart]

My mom was a teacher.

[Cillian Murphy]

Well, there you go. And so many people I've met over the course of promoting this film have teachers or social workers as parents. And I think it's a vocational job. I think you kind of need to do this thing and you have a drive in you to help people or to help children in this case. And I feel like, you know, the kid that has been written off for the kid, that sort of the institution or society has abandoned kind of ideologically. If you can reach that kid and make him or her like, feel seen or I think if you can do that, that that level of satisfaction keeps bringing people back to it. That's, you know, this is not being a teacher, but having. Growing up around teachers. This is what I kind of feel is the drive for the good ones.

[Interviewer]

Steve, he seems like someone who is truly dedicated to his work, to helping these kids, but what do you think he loses or sacrifices by giving so much to the children at the school?

[Cillian Murphy]

I think that it's that old kind of adage that, you know, like put on your own oxygen mask first before putting, you know, on others. And I think he's probably, he's probably not looking, caring it for himself in any way. And, you know, so he's, he's minding all these kids and the school is falling apart and it's underfunded. And then he's going home, as you say, to these two little girls and his wife. And, you know, they're probably struggling to meet the mortgage and all these things. So I think the last thing he's thinking about is himself. And there's a lot of unresolved things that he's carrying around with that become clear over the course of the film.

[Interviewer]

What does he want for the boys at the school?

[Cillian Murphy]

I think he just, I think he's working day to day. I don't think he really has an overarching kind of ambition. I think he wants them to be okay today and then okay tomorrow and then. And then ultimately I think he wants them to feel like they are valued and that they are valued in the school and then hopefully valued by society because a lot of them would have. I think there's a sort of a, you know, a Generational shame or whatever that's passed down or they've not been looked after or there hasn't been. There's been absent parents or whatever. So just to feel valued, I think.

[Interviewer]

What was it like to work with so many young actors on a set?

[Cillian Murphy]

I mean, they're amazing. They. They gave me a real shot in the arm, you know, their commitment and their energy for it and their dedication. That's something you try to sustain over a 30 year career, you know, but those guys have it in such. It's so natural to them and they're. They're so committed. So I kind of thrived off their energy.

[Interviewer]

What did you get out of working with young, young, young actors?

[Cillian Murphy]

I just think it's the. Yeah, just their life, the life that they have and that sense of potential that kind of gets eroded and as you get older, I suppose.

[Interviewer]

I love that Tracey Ullman was in this. And it was interesting watching a couple of interviews that you've done about the film. She makes you smile every time she talks about her character, which isn't a particularly comical character. No, not at all. What did you like about working with Tracey Ullman?

[Cillian Murphy]

I mean, she's just an icon, and she's just also a beautiful human being. She's a really caring, kind, soulful person who happens to be hilariously funny, but is a brilliant dramatic actor and just doesn't get to kind of show that off much. And so it was great to see her be so brilliant in this role. In this role, which is very demanding role.

[Interviewer]

What was the relationship between your character and her character?

[Cillian Murphy]

I think she's his most important confidante and friend in the world. I think he tells her more than he tells his wife. And everything, you know, about work, I think he compartmentalizes everything.

[Interviewer]

Oh, interesting.

[Cillian Murphy]

I think that's the only way he can survive, you know.

[Interviewer]

Is that where the addiction comes in?

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah, I think he compartmentalizes that as well. And like, it's all very. Those people who have that sort of way of saying or rationalizing these things in an intimate, you know, insanely saying, it's okay for me to hide drugs in the laundry room, to hide whiskey in the basement. That's. That's totally.

[Interviewer]

That makes sense.

[Cillian Murphy]

It makes sense. Yeah. And that's it. And then it's okay for me to, like, not tell my wife what's just happened to work, or it's okay for me to not tell, you know, Amanda that I'm relapsing and all these things, you know what I mean? It's just a very, very. That's the kind of tricky world of addiction. You know, everything becomes justified. I think.

[Interviewer]

There'S a boy at the school named Shai, which is what the book is based on.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

What is his relationship? What's Steve's relationship with Shai?

[Cillian Murphy]

I mean, I think they're like two sides of a coin, really. They're both really sensitive and brilliant people and very open people. But on this particular date, you know, events trigger them both into this kind of sort of breakdown, and they're sort of circling around each other, and they both really care for each other, but they can't reach each other. And their relationship starts off at the beginning of the day, and, you know, things are going all right. And then events. Events take place that fracture that relationship in a terrible way. And. And it's very. It's kind of in the book. It's heartbreaking, and I hope in the film it touches people, too.

[Interviewer]

What is it about Shai that really touches Steve?

[Cillian Murphy]

I think he sees his. His talent and his humor and, you know, his passion for music and. But like you said, I think he sees it in all those kids. I think he sees the best in people. He's not one of those people.

[Interviewer]

You know, it's interesting because I think we have different opinions about what the end of the movie might have meant, which is fine, because it's good. People have different opinions about art.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah. I think it's not meant to be in any way prescriptive. It's meant to be ambiguous entirely and open to interpretation.

[Interviewer]

You know, I said that he goes home. I'm not giving much away. He goes home and has sort of a normal life after this really terrible day. He's had. And had to deal with so much, and I don't want to give that part away. And there's a little pink bedroom, and his little girls are there, and his wife is really lovely to him. And I thought that was. Oh, we've just seen him in one circumstance. He's got a whole other life we have to deal with, too.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

What did you think happened?

[Cillian Murphy]

I don't want to say, because I don't. I don't. You know, that's just my interpretation. And people see the film through. Through the lens of their own life experiences. And, you know, I have. I have a friend, and she has daughters, and she saw the movie and she said, he's got daughters. I mean, he's. He's gonna be there for his daughters. And other people might have different opinions. So I. That I. I really enjoy that in art, where it's the audience finishes the story rather than the storytellers.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. I thought daughters was interesting. And they're cute daughters and they're sweet.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah. They're not like kind of big men charging around, you know, half formed men. Yeah. So, yeah, he's raising girls when he's minding boys.

[Interviewer]

I want to ask about Peaky Blinders before you have to go. The new film is set to premiere next year.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yeah, next year.

[Interviewer]

The Immortal Man. It's what it's called.

[Cillian Murphy]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

All right. What keeps you interested in playing that one character after all these years?

[Cillian Murphy]

The writing. Yeah, the writing was the. Always the draw because it was exceptional writing. And I'm always attracted to good writing. And it's, you know, a rare to play a character over the course, like for 12 years, which was a quarter of my life. And so you get to age with that character and kind of. You never get to do that normally. You play characters at that point in your life at that time. Whereas this, I got to do it for such a long time. So that adds all sorts of sort of. You can go to places you never normally would really.

[Alison Stewart]

That was my conversation with Oscar winning actor Cillian Murphy. You can stream his new movie Steve now on Netflix. Coming up, actor Wunmi Mosaku discusses fighting vampires in the new movie Sinners.

[Interviewer]

Stay with us.

[Alison Stewart]

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