With the release of Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy has been put in an even brighter spotlight. The already very successful actor stars in the new Christopher Nolan film. The movie focuses on the lead scientist of the Manhattan Project. It was likely going to get a lot of media attention anyway. But the surprise connection it has to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film has made it part of a hotly-anticipated double feature. The two films are coming out on the same day. As a result, fans are thrilled about the competition at the box office.
Murphy seems to be taking it all in stride. The down-to-earth Irish actor may stay grounded partly because of his devotion to family. Murphy is married to Yvonne McGuinness, an Irish artist known for her performance installations. The couple shares two sons, Malachy and Aran. They live together in Dublin. Despite having a career in Hollywood, Murphy decided to be home with his family as much as possible.
“I don’t need to live in Los Angeles,” he told People in 2005. “I’d be tremendously far away from my family—I’d never see them.”
The following provides everything to know about Cillian Murphy’s wife, Yvonne McGuinness.
She was born in Kilkenny, Ireland.
Yvonne was born on October 12, 1972. After living in London for a few years, she now lives in Ireland with Cillian and their children. A fun fact is that her uncle is the famous Irish politician John McGuinness.
What does Yvonne McGuinness do?
McGuinness has a career in the visual arts. She holds a master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in London. On her website, she says her installations incorporate “film, performance, sculptural and textile elements, sound, and writing.”
Many of the installations include performances. So, she and Murphy have that artistic practice in common.
She has also been in charge of running their household while Murphy travels for work. He has praised her repeatedly for this.
For his hit show Peaky Blinders, Murphy had to move to Liverpool. He lived “zero life” there, per his interview with The Guardian.
“It’s canceled life,” he explained. “You go home to your tiny apartment at the end of each day. You feed yourself for sustenance and learn lines for the next day. You try to get as much sleep as possible, which isn’t much. Then you get up and do it all again.”
Meanwhile, McGuinness waited at home. She welcomed him back after filming ended. She also supported him as he decompressed from the demanding shooting schedule.
He told GQ in an interview, “Achieving that work-life balance is hard. I’m thankful for my amazing wife. I couldn’t do this without her understanding. But it is still a struggle…I think that’s true for any dad whose work takes him away often. And my acting work certainly does that. It also consumes me.”
He also credited McGuinness for keeping him grounded. This is impressive, as he becomes a more famous actor.
“Seeking fame was never a goal for me. I just want to improve as an actor,” Murphy told People. “If I can leave behind one film that affects somebody, that would be great… Having someone like Yvonne is very important. My life hasn’t changed much, really. I still have the same friends. We go to the same places.”
Murphy and McGuinness: How the Couple Met
In the late 1990s, Murphy was cast in a play called Disco Pigs. It first premiered in Cork, Ireland. The play ended up being very successful. It went on a tour, traveling to Dublin and London. Eventually, it toured around the world for about 18 months. Murphy told The Guardian in 2016 that McGuinness traveled with the tour group.
“That time during Disco Pigs was one of the most important periods of my life,” he explained. “The people I met there remain my closest friends…They shaped me and my tastes. They influenced what I wanted to do with my life. I also met my wife around the same time. She came on tour with us. It was so exciting, 20 years ago or so – we were all just kids trying to find our way. But it was such a special, special time.”
The Couple’s Enduring Bond: Murphy and McGuinness Through the Years
“I was living at home with my folks. My wife was pregnant with our son. We were running around the hills of West Cork, shooting up Black and Tans. Fantastic!” he described happily.
At first, they raised the kids in London. But they decided to move back to Ireland in 2015 to be near family again.
“We wanted the kids to be Irish, I suppose,” Murphy said. “It’s amazing how quickly their accents have adapted. Within just a year of moving back, they are shifting into a stylish West Brit kind of accent. Hopefully, that will get them lots of attention from girls when they’re 15.”
In 2016, he said his sons seem more self-assured than he was as a teen.
“I had bravado. But, deep down, I was insecure,” he explained. “The kids seem better adjusted than I was. More sure of themselves. I’m happy about that. For me, it took a long time to realize that it’s alright to be yourself, to be an individual.”
Did Murphy and McGuinness do “Barbenheimer” together?
They did not attend the theater together, Murphy revealed in his January 2024 Los Angeles Times interview. By the time he returned from promoting Oppenheimer early due to the SAG strike start, McGuinness and his sons had already seen Barbie. So Murphy went to see the Greta Gerwig film alone after watching Oppenheimer at its July premiere in Paris. As for how he avoided notice, he said, “I now time going to movies very carefully. With the ads and trailers, I always arrive 30 minutes late. Then I slip in and slip back out afterward.”
“Sitting with strangers in a darkened theater is the greatest democratic collective art experience,” he added regarding the value of theaters. “To be part of a movie people saw multiple times and part of a great moment for cinema – that frenzy around those two films – was just lovely. I don’t know if we’ll see it again. But I’d like to hope so.”
They’re Both Vegetarians
“I was vegetarian for a long time. Then I started eating meat again for a while. Now I’ve gone back to being vegetarian”. “My wife is vegetarian, too.”
United at the 2024 Golden Globes: Murphy and McGuinness’ Couples Style
Yes, Murphy and McGuinness attended the Golden Globes together on January 7. McGuinness wore a black polka-dot outfit and red lipstick. Some of the lipstick got on Murphy’s face later that evening. When Murphy gave his Best Actor in a Drama Film acceptance speech, traces of the lipstick were still visible on his face. “First question, do I have lipstick all over my nose?” he jokingly asked the crowd as he started his remarks. “I was gonna leave it there.”
