Cillian Murphy is set to return to the Hollywood ceremony to pass the torch to the next Best Actor. He won the award last year for his role as Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer’

Irish actor Cillian Murphy accepts the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for "Oppenheimer" onstage during the 96th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 10, 2024. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Cillian Murphy is returning to present an award at the Oscars (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Cillian Murphy will be one of the actors presenting awards at the Oscars on March 2.

The actor is set to return to the Hollywood ceremony to pass the torch to the next Best Actor. He won the coveted award last year for his role as Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer.’

While the last few years have been big for Irish actors – with ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ and more – this year saw no Irish stars receive nominations. This comes after many believed the self-titled biopic ‘Kneecap’ could be recognized, and their Irish fans fumed online.

 

According to Variety, several of last year’s Oscar winners will present awards. Along with Murphy, Emma Stone, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Robert Downey Jr. will return to present. It’s unclear which awards they will be handing out.

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Stone won Best Actress for the role of Bella Baxter in ‘Poor Things’; Randolph was named Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mary Lamb in ‘The Holdovers’; and Downey Jr. won Best Supporting Actor for playing Lewis Strauss in ‘Oppenheimer’.

This year, there are five men up for the award of Best Actor. It includes Timothée Chalamet for his role as Bob Dylan in ‘A Complete Unknown’; Adrien Brody for ‘The Brutalist’; Colman Domingo for his performance in ‘SingSing’; Ralph Fiennes for his role in ‘Conclave’; and Sebastian Stan for playing Donald Trump in ‘The Apprentice’.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 10: Robert Downey Jr., Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Emma Stone, and Cillian Murphy pose in the press room during the 96th Annual Academy Awards at Ovation Hollywood on March 10, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Along with Murphy, Emma Stone, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Robert Downey Jr. will return to present (Image: Getty)

Best picture nominees include ‘Emilia Pérez’; ‘A Complete Unknown’; ‘Conclave’; ‘Nickel Boys’; ‘I’m Still Here’; ‘The Substance’; ‘Dune: Part Two’; ‘Wicked’; ‘Anora’; ‘The Brutalist’; and ‘The Apprentice.’

The last was a controversial pick, though many thought it was well-deserved. The film follows the early career of Donald Trump, leading to his prominence in the New York real estate world. Trump himself criticized the movie.

While Murphy won’t be returning to receive an award, he did star in a critically-acclaimed film this year.

‘Small Things Like These’ was released in 2024, based on Claire Keegan’s novel of the same name. It takes place in 1985, examining the effects of Ireland’s Magdalene Institutions on the small community of New Ross. Murphy plays Bill Furlong, a coal trader who has uncovered hidden abuses at a local convent.