Cillian Murphy’s "blue-eye-off" With 'Peaky Blinders' Co-Star Barry Keoghan Proved a Major 'Distraction' on Set

Published 11/08/2024, 9:29 PM EST

In some ways, Cillian Murphy’s ocean-blue eyes have become a celebrity in their own right. There are full-blown fan pages, YouTube montages, and even websites dedicated to those baby blues. The obsession is so real that his eyes even made last year’s list of most-loved celebrity eyes, according to an analysis done by Leightons Opticians. And just when we thought one blue-eyed heartbreaker was enough for the world, along came another to make life even harder for those working on the Peaky Blinders set. 

Barry Keoghan- also blessed with that non-functioning OCA2 gene- shared the mayhem their eyes caused for the Peaky Blinders crew. 

Barry Keoghan on his blue-eye showdown with Cillian Murphy

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It was in August when Barry Keoghan was announced to be joining the Peaky Blinders gang alongside Cillian Murphy. Just this month, Netflix even shared the first look at the 32-year-old in the film. Now, Keoghan is offering some behind-the-scenes insights from the film's set. During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers Thursday night, Keoghan opened up about how troublesome his and Murphy’s striking blue eyes were while filming. According to the Saltburn star, "Everyone gets distracted" by their "blue-eye-off.

Keoghan and Murphy, apparently, would hold up production every time their eyes locked. The Oscar-nominated actor, who is currently the riding the DCU hype, also shared how excited he is to be part of the upcoming Peaky Blinders project and to work alongside Murphy. But when it comes to Murphy’s blue eyes, Keoghan is not the only co-star who has commented on how distracting they can be.

12 Years Since Beginning, Cillian Murphy Talks ‘Peaky Blinders’ and Its Impact Following His Return to the Universe

Many of Cillian Murphy’s peers, particularly from the Oppenheimer cast, have shared similar stories about how impossible it is to ignore the Oscar-winning actor’s mesmerizing gaze.

Stars who could not escape the blue-eyed charm of Cillian Murphy

During an interview with PEOPLE, Matt Damon explained how tough it is to shoot scenes with Cillian Murphy because of his mesmerizing blue eyes. “Sometimes you find yourself just swimming in his eyes,” he shared. Emily Blunt chimed in as well, joking that Murphy’s eyes remind her of Billie Eilish’s 2016 hit 'Ocean Eyes.' “We just hum it all day,” she laughed. 

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Last year, Christopher Nolan also shared with Entertainment Weekly that it was Murphy's “crazy eyes” that first drew him to the actor, which became a major factor in their successful collaboration on the Dark Knight trilogy. Given all these testimonies, it seems Barry Keoghan was not joking about the “blue-eye-off” being a real distraction. 

The Blue Eyed Charm of Cillian Murphy in 2024: All Projects of the Oscar Champion Released and Upcoming

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What do you think about Barry Keoghan’s interview? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Hriddhi Maitra

1841 articles

Hriddhi Maitra is a Hollywood News reporter at Netflix Junkie. An enthusiastic movie buff, Hriddhi found her true calling when she worked as a Cinema Content Writer at My Cinema Story while analyzing movies objectively, and offering constructive feedback. Coming from a background where she worked in different niches like finance, food, travel, medicines, automobile, and entertainment, we can safely say she is a jack of all trades.

Edited By: Aliza Siddiqui

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