Cillian Murphy was on hand to support his Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at the 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony on Friday.
Downey Jr., 58, was being recognized with the esteemed Maltin Modern Master Award at the Arlington Theater.
The 47-year-old Irish actor, who played nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster, smiled proudly as he posed with the guest of honor.
Dressed in a timeless suit and looking dapper, Cillian was seen hugging the Marvel star, who effortlessly stole the show in a chic purple ensemble.
Downey Jr., whose fiery portrayal of Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer is gaining popularity at the Oscars, was also joined by his superstar friends Rob Lowe, David Duchovny, Natasha Leggero, Chelsea Peretti and more.
Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Rob Lowe at the 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Friday
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 7 Downey Jr., 58, was being recognized with the esteemed Maltin Modern Master Award at the Arlington Theater.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_924_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpeg.webp)
Downey Jr., 58, was being recognized with the esteemed Maltin Modern Master Award at the Arlington Theater.
The Modern Master Award is the highest honor presented by SBIFF, according to its website.
“Established in 1995, it was created to honor an individual who has enriched our culture through achievements in the film industry,” the statement read.
The award was renamed the Maltin Modern Master Award in 2015 in honor of SBIFF moderator and renowned film critic Leonard Maltin.
Previous winners included Jamie Lee Curtis Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman, Bill Murray Brad Pitt, Glenn Close, Gary Oldman and Denzel Washington.
Downey Jr., a double Academy Award nominee and winner of the prestigious Golden Globe, has a prolific career with more than 110 acting credits.
Most notably, he took on the iconic role of the franchise’s lead character Iron Man, a groundbreaking move that propelled the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He won a Golden Globe for his leading role in the action-adventure film Sherlock Holmes.
He earned two Academy Award nominations for his roles in Tropic Thunder and his portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in Richard Attenborough’s 1992 biopic Chaplin.
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 9 The handsome trio made this evening something of a laugh out loud affair.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpg.webp)
The handsome trio made this evening something of a laugh out loud affair.
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 11 Rob Lowe, Sheryl Berkoff and John Owen Lowe made it a family affair](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_985_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpeg.webp)
Rob Lowe, Sheryl Berkoff and John Owen Lowe made it a family affair
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 13 Natasha Leggero looked casual and cute with her outfit](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_118_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpg.webp)
Natasha Leggero looked casual and cute with her outfit
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 15 Purple was the name of the game for Chelsea Peretti](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_805_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpg.webp)
Purple was the name of the game for Chelsea Peretti
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 17 Natasha Leggero, Chelsea Peretti and Benito Skinner formed a great trio](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_894_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpeg.webp)
Natasha Leggero, Chelsea Peretti and Benito Skinner formed a great trio
As Lewis Strauss, one of the founding commissioners of the Atomic Energy Commission, instrumental in shaping postwar American nuclear policy, Downey Jr. portrays Oppenheimer’s main administrative adversary.
He is leading the campaign to revoke Oppenheimer’s security clearance and discredit him.
Downey Jr.’s upcoming acting projects include his participation in Max’s television adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sympathizer, where he takes on four supporting roles.
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 19 Ed Weeks had a casual but elegant look overall.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_84_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpg.webp)
Ed Weeks had a casual but elegant look overall.
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 21 William Fichtner kept cool in a leather jacket](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_471_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpg.webp)
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 23 David Duchovny wore black denim for the affair](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_728_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpg.webp)
William Fichtner kept cool in a leather jacket
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 25 Roger Durling, Cillian Murphy, Leonard Maltin, honoree Robert Downey Jr. and Rob Lowe](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_140_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpg.webp)
Roger Durling, Cillian Murphy, Leonard Maltin, honoree Robert Downey Jr. and Rob Lowe
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 27 The handsome actors posed outside the theater.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_72_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpg.webp)
The handsome actors posed outside the theater.
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 29 The 47-year-old Irish actor, who played nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's blockbuster, smiled proudly as he posed with the guest of honor.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_910_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpeg.webp)
The 47-year-old Irish actor, who played nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster, smiled proudly as he posed with the guest of honor.
Additionally, he will star in Paramount Pictures’ remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic thriller, Vertigo.
“Robert Downey Jr. has starred in one of the most spectacular second acts in the history of show business… and we, the audience, are the beneficiaries,” Maltin said in a statement before the film festival.
“It commands the screen without any visible effort, which is perhaps the greatest feat of all.”
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 31 Valerie Steinberg kept it bright in silver pants](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_141_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpg.webp)
Valerie Steinberg kept it bright in silver pants
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 33 Kate Chamuris was a vision in green](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_917_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpg.webp)
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 35 Daniel Sinclair kept it casual](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_953_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpg.webp)
Kate Chamuris and Daniel Sinclair took over the red carpet
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 37 Robert Carillo, Nyasia Jennings, Shirley Paulihno, Marly Franco and Samantha Torres](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561224_760_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpg.webp)
Robert Carillo, Nyasia Jennings, Shirley Paulihno, Marly Franco and Samantha Torres
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 39 Kati Hernandez, Siru Wen, Rui Xu, Marissa Chibas and Travis Preston](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561225_692_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpeg.webp)
Kati Hernandez, Siru Wen, Rui Xu, Marissa Chibas and Travis Preston
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 41 The actor greeted the audience while being honored.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561225_444_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpg.webp)
The actor greeted the audience while being honored.
![Cillian Murphy supports Oppenheimer co-star Robert Downey Jr. at Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Maltin Modern Master Award ceremony as Marvel star receives highest honor 43 Leonard Maltin speaks on stage at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Maltin Modern Master Award honoring Robert Downey Jr.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/02/1707561225_755_Cillian-Murphy-supports-Oppenheimer-co-star-Robert-Downey-Jr-at-Santa.jpg.webp)
Leonard Maltin speaks on stage at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Maltin Modern Master Award honoring Robert Downey Jr.