Cillian Murphy praised for ‘heartbreaking’ comment about women after Saoirse Ronan’s harsh reminder about gender violence

Cillian Murphy may have earned the distinction of being Hollywood’s biggest female ally, days after Saoirse Ronan silenced her “woke” male colleagues with a stark reminder about gender-based violence.

Fans praised Murphy, 48, after the Peaky Blinders actor reflected on his upcoming film Small Things Like These, based on the critically acclaimed book of the same name by Irish writer Claire Keegan.

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2022, Keegan’s best-selling historical fiction novel takes readers inside Ireland’s Magdalene laundries through the eyes of coal merchant and devoted family man Bill Furlong (played by Murphy in the film adaptation).

The Magdalene Laundries, also known as Magdalene Asylums, were church-run institutions that operated from the 18th century to the late 20th century and housed “fallen” women, in conditions that were described as “worse than any prison.” “.

As Murphy reflected on the plight of women and children in laundromats at an event promoting the new film, he noted how those groups often suffer the most from scandals and institutional failures, and fans have hailed him as a man who really understands women’s problems. face in society.

When asked if she thinks the film will inspire “more change regarding this particular issue” of how women’s rights and freedoms are restricted and controlled, the Oppenheimer star issued a heartbreaking statement.

He said: “It’s always women and children who are collateral damage in these situations, when there is absolute power, and I think that’s happening all over the world.”

The Magdalene laundries were created to reform women considered sexually promiscuous, single mothers, as well as disabled and orphaned women and girls who had nowhere to turn.

Survivors have recounted horrific accounts of abuse within the walls of these asylums, including food deprivation, degrading punishment, and senseless beatings.

It is estimated that more than 30,000 women were locked up in these Magdalene laundries across the country between 1922 and 1996, and Ireland officially admitted responsibility for their “slavery” in 2013.

And its horrors are still being unearthed three decades after the first mass graves in a Dublin laundry sparked national anger.

A mass grave at a mother and baby home in Tuam, Galway, will be exhumed next February after the remains of almost 800 babies and children were discovered in a septic tank in 2017.

Set in County Wexford in December 1985, Small Things Like These follows middle-aged coal merchant Bill Furlong (Murphy) after he realizes that a local convent in his community is actually a Magdalene laundry.

The film stars Eileen Walsh, who also starred in The Magdalene Sisters About These Asylums, as Murphy’s on-screen wife, Eileen Furlong.

Emily Watson plays Sister Mary in the film adaptation of Keegan’s hard-hitting novel.

At the film’s London premiere on October 25, Cork-born Murphy spoke to The nextg about the impact he hopes little things like these will have, adding that “it’s about the power of the individual in many ways” and that it will be “provocative in a gentle way.”

A clip of Murphy’s interview went viral on X, where his response resonated with several people.

One tweet said: “When there is a policy violation, it is always women and children who suffer.” This is happening not only in one country, but all over the world. In such situations, your rights and safety are ignored.

“This is really right.”

Another person said: ‘Absolutely. That idea is both powerful and heartbreaking.”

A third user wrote: ‘This is very true. And where you find a civilization where everyone is of the same race and religion, the ones who are repressed are the women and children.

One person also noted the contrast between Murphy’s considered response and the reactions of Graham Norton, Paul Mescal and Eddie Redmayne to a self-defense joke that prompted Saoirse Ronan to intervene on behalf of women everywhere.

“I would applaud Saoirse Ronan,” the comment read, referring to Ronan’s sobering reminder of what “women face on a daily basis” during an appearance on Graham Norton’s show last week.

The profound moment came after Redmayne, 42, shared that his training for a new series, The Day of The Jackal, included learning how to use a phone to retaliate in the event of an attack.

Mescal, 28, burst out laughing and joked: “Who’s really going to think about that?” If someone really attacked me, I’m not going to “phone it in.”

Sharing the joke, Norton, 61, mimed holding a phone to defend himself against an attacker who joked: “Can you wait a second?” to which Redmayne said: “That’s a very good point.”

But the laughter quickly died down when Ronan reminded the male panelists: “That’s what girls have to think about all the time.”

‘Am I right, ladies?’ He then asked the crowd, drawing huge applause from the studio audience.

After her mic drop moment went viral, Ronan was widely praised on social media for giving her ‘good’ male co-stars a moment of pause while highlighting the issue of violence against women.

“Saoirse Ronan has a very strong presence and is not afraid to speak her mind,” tweeted one X user.

Another user said: “I really admire Saoirse Ronan, when she mentions that women have to constantly think about how to defend ourselves from attacks and everyone stays silent and then applauds.” You are so right!’

A third called Ronan ‘a queen’ and said ‘men need a reminder of what it’s like to be a woman so they can appreciate their privilege.’

The user noted that “the silence after she said that says it all,” while another said “the silence is driving me crazy.”

Another user said the clip ‘summarizes in a nutshell that men ignore male privilege.’

“The fact that these kids, of course, are so oblivious is almost terrifying,” the user added. “Thank God for Saoirse, because we all need a little more attention paid to this.”

One user said the moment was a microcosm of how men and women communicate, saying “this is what it feels like to have a conversation with men.”

Another person added that gender deafness was evident in the excerpt from the popular British talk show.

“What made me most angry is that Saoirse Ronan, the only woman on the panel, almost had to fight to get her point across in a group of laughing men who didn’t consider her opinion or the women’s experiences,” she said. the user. saying.

‘Almost like that’s the whole damn problem, right?’

Murphy previously credited his wife Yvonne McGuinness as the driving force behind the film adaptation of Keegan’s book.

In an interview with RTE Radio 1, the Oscar winner revealed that McGuinness, whom he married in 2004, suggested turning the moving novel into a film, adding: “I have to give him full credit for this.”

An X user documented how Murphy highlighted McGuinness’ contribution in interviews on Small Things Like These, following his tribute to McGuinness at the Oscars.

Accepting the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Murphy thanked “my partner in life and art” McGuinness during an emotional speech.