‘I just want to go and have a good time’ – Cillian Murphy determined to enjoy Oscar night whatever happens

“I haven’t really thought about it to be honest with you. I just want to go in and have a good time this weekend,” he said.

When asked what will happen if he wins, he said: “I’m sure we’ll have some sort of party.”

The 47-year-old star graced the green carpet at the annual Oscar Wilde Irish film industry event in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The father-of-two was accompanied on his flight from Dublin by his 16-year-old son Aran, but he said the rest of his family will be in the Dolby Theatre for the awards tomorrow too. “My wife and my kids are going to be here,” he said.

Aran is following his father’s acting footsteps and recently won a role in Klara And The Sun, opposite Wednesday star Jenna Ortega.

Asked if he had any advice for his son, Murphy said: “I’m very, very proud of him, he’s a great actor, so I’m very proud of him. He doesn’t need my advice, he’s well able.”

Murphy maintains he has been surprised at the reaction the movie about the “father of the atomic bomb” has got, grossing nearly €1bn at the box office.

“We are just so flattered that it is being celebrated in this way and that so many people went to see it. It should be a good weekend.

“It’s amazing; we’re just really flattered and humbled. It feels wonderful. None of us expected the film would do so well.”

But while he was able to let his hair down at the Oscar Wilde party, he is still keen about his craft.

“It’s all about the work for me really – that’s always been the thing and whatever happens after that, you can’t control really,” he said.

“I mean being in a room with all these amazing filmmakers, people you’ve watched as a kid, that’s pretty surreal.”

He recently hung out with several Irish actors who were nominated for a Bafta in London.

“It’s great to hang out with Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, and all the lads. I’ve really enjoyed it, all the lads from Poor Things as well,” he said, name-checking the Irish-produced film starring Emma Stone and which has 11 Oscar nominations.

Murphy, who in recent years moved from London to Monkstown, Co Dublin, confesses he can’t escape his Irishness no matter where he is in the world, including LA.

“I can’t really escape it, that’s who I am. I have my family here, so that helps,” he said.

Meanwhile, former Irish President Mary Robinson was feted at the party on Thursday, which took place the Irish Consul General’s residence in Los Angeles.

Ms Robinson recently featured in a short film about climate change, ActNowFilm, in which young people and environment experts express their frustration at the slow process of tackling global emissions in order to protect life on earth.

Marcella Smyth, Ireland’s consul general to the south-western United States, told the crowd – including Oscar nominated producers Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe from Element Pictures’ and cinematographer Robbie Ryan, all of whom worked on Poor Things – that she was honoured to have them and Ms Robinson at the event.

“President Robinson was during her time in that role, and I know still is, a massive champion of Irish culture and recognising the power of storytelling, the power of cultural exchange, in bringing together communities that allow for an exploration of differences that truly culminate in understanding, and it’s a legacy she has left us with,” she said.

Ireland’s Ambassador to the US, Geraldine Byrne Nason, acknowledged the achievements of the Irish makers of Poor Things, as well as a Best Actor nod for Murphy.

“We are here to put wind in the sails of our great Academy Award nominees,” she said.

“I often say I’m as likely to be asked about the Derry Girls or An Cailín Ciúin as I am about Yeats and Joyce now,” she added.​