Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. attended the 35th Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on January 4, 2024, in Palm Springs, California.
Downey Jr., Murphy, and Greta Gerwig attended the 2024 Palm Springs Film Festival, where Murphy received the Desert Palm Achievement, Actor award, and Gerwig was honored with Director of the Year.
Downey Jr. delivered an outstanding speech while presenting Cillian Murphy with his award. He said, “I feel kind of like I blew it because I didn’t write anything, and I’m not going to make an excuse; I’m just going to offer an explanation. I was distracted [by the] holidays; I had a head cold, and then there were two earthquakes,” he added, referencing recent shakes in Japan and California that “activated my crippling seismology anxiety.” But seriously, he managed to jot down some “broad stroke stuff” and was “just going to fucking wing it.”
Downey continued, “He is an anomaly. He’s been an actor’s actor for over 20 years and nobody dislikes this guy. That’s not easy.” Downey added, who, in addition to being universally well-liked in the industry, has earned raves and awards attention for his turn as Lewis Strauss. “His character work and his onscreen intensity never fail. Captain captivating, it’s fu***** titillating.”
Downey said, “I’ve been in this game for 40-something years and I’ve never had the experience like watching Cillian carry the weight of J. Robert on his back for the whole time with his heart on his sleeve and all the required sophistication and restraint.”
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