Cillian Murphy Shares The History Behind His Film 'Dunkirk'

>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU KNOW MY NEXT GUEST TONIGHT FROM
"THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY," "INCEPTION," AND "PEAKY
BLINDERS."
HE NOW STARS IN CHRISTOPHER NOLAN'S "DUNKIRK."
PLEASE WELCOME CILLIAN MURPHY.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> Stephen: WELCOME TO "THE LATE SHOW."
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: MEE NICE TO MEET YOU YOU, TOO.
>> Stephen: I'M A FAN OF YOUR WORK.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> Stephen: I DID NOT KNOW YOU'RE IRISH.
>> OH, REALLY?
>> Stephen: YOUR AMERICAN ACCENT WAS SO GOOD YOU FOOLED
ME.
>> THANK YOU INTO CAN YOU BE FOOLED BY PEOPLE DOING AN IRISH
ACCENT?
>> OCCASIONALLY, YEAH.
I GUESS, YEAH.
>> Stephen: BUT MOST OF THE TIME NOT?
>> THERE HAVE BEEN SOME SUCCESSFUL IRISH ACCENTS I GUESS
IN THE COURSE OF CINEMA HISTORY.
>> Stephen: LUCKY CHARMS GUY, OBVIOUSLY.
>> OBVIOUSLY IS THAT DO YOU GET LUCKY CHARMS IN IRELAND?
>> LUCKY CHARMS DON'T EXIST IN IRELAND.
>> Stephen: THE LEPRECHAUNS HIDE THEM FROM YOU.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: THE TRIX RABBIT?
I DON'T KNOW HIM.
>> Stephen: WHO WOULD DO A BETTER IRISH ACCENT.
ARE YOU WILLING TO NAME NAMES.
>> NO.
>> Stephen: DO YOU STILL LIVE IN IRELAND?
>> I LOVED IN LONDON THE LAST FOUR YEARS AND WE MOVED BACK TO
DUBLIN.
>> Stephen: NICE TOWN.
WE JUST WENT THERE.
>> ARE YOU IRISH?
>> Stephen: ALL IRISH.
COLBERT, I DON'T PRONOUNCE THE "T" TO SOUND MORE PRETENTIOUS.
( LAUGHTER ) ACTUAL CATHOLIC EDUCATION?
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: DID YOU HAVE TO TAKE LATIN.
>> DID THAT FOR ONE YEAR.
>> Stephen: DIDN'T TAKE?
NOT REALLY, NOPE.
>> Stephen: DID YOU STUDY OVER THERE?
DID YOU STUDY AT THE GATE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT?
>> NEVER STUDIED AS AN ACTOR.
STARTED OFF DOING THEATER.
>> Stephen: I THOUGHT YOU HAD A BAND TO START OFF.
>> YEAH, I HAVE A FAILED CAREER AS A MUSICIAN.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO DO.
I REALLY WANTED TO BE A MUSICIAN FOR YEARS AND YEARS, AND THEN
THE THEATER JUST BECAME MORE, I SUPPOSE, LIKE THAT WAS THE FORM
OF EXPRESSION THAT BECAME MORE RELEVANT OR WHATEVER.
>> Stephen: WHEN SPHWROAG GROWING UP, DID YOU SING
TRADITIONAL IRISH TUNES, BALLADS AND THINGS LIKE THAT?
>> NOT REALLY.
>> Stephen: THAT'S THE STEREOTYPE.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE DOWN AT THE PUB SINGING.
>> YEAH, WE WERE DOWN TO THE PUB, NOT NECESSARILY SINGING.
JUST DRINKING.
>> Stephen: WELL, THE NEW MOVIE "DUNKIRK" IS AN
EXTRAORDINARY STORY FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW IT.
STRANGELY ENOUGH, NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THIS STORY.
IF WE CAN PUT A MAP UP HERE, JIM.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO THE PEOPLE WHAT HAPPENED AT THE BATTLE OF
DUNKIRK?
YOU CAN SEE IT BEHIND YOU.
>> OH, BEHIND ME.
YEAH WOW, YOU'RE PUT MEG ON THE SPOT HERE.
WELL, IT'S BEFORE AMERICA CAME INTO THE WAR, IT'S 1940, AND
IT'S BASICALLY A RETREAT, AN EHAVING WEIGHS, AND THERE'S LIKE
400,000 MEN ON THE BEACH IN DUNKIRK.
>> Stephen: THE BRITISH FORCES ARE TRAPPED.
>> EXACTLY.
THEY HAVE BEEN PICKED OFF FROM THE SKY BY THE GERMAN AIR FORCE.
>> Stephen: AND IF THIS FORCE IS DEFEATED, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH
IT FOR ENGLAND?
>> IF IT HAD GONE THE OTHER WAY, WE WOULD ALL LIVE IN A VERY
DIFFERENT SOCIETY TODAY.
THAT'S THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS MOMENT IN HISTORY, AND IT HAD
NEVER REALLY BEEN DEALT IN MODERN CINEMA.
THERE'S A FILM WITH JOHN MILLS AND DICK ATENBERG BUT RECENTLY
NOT BEEN DEALT WITH, YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: AND ONE OF THE EXTRAORDINARY THINGS IS PEOPLE
USE THEIR ORDINARY BOATS.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: NOT NAVAL VESSELS BECAUSE IT WAS SHALLOW.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: SO THE NAVAL VESSELS COULDN'T PICK PEOPLE UP
SO ORDINARY PEOPLE WENT OUT IN THEIR BOATS.
>> THAT'S THE THING THAT MAKES IT SO EXTRAORDINARY IN TERMS OF
MILITARY HISTORY IS THAT THE DESTROYERS COULDN'T GET IN
BECAUSE THE WATER WAS SO SHALLOW, SO ALL THESE, LIKE,
NORMALCY VILIAN PEOPLE TOOK THEIR HOLIDAY VESSELS AND WENT
OVER AND PICKED THESE GUYS UP.
THEY GOT 300-PLUS THOUSAND SOLDIERS OFF THE BEACH.
>> Stephen: AND ONLY 26 MILES FROM DOVER TO DUNKIRK.
>> THERE YOU GO.
>> Stephen: AND THE PEOPLE ON THE BEACH COULD SEE ENGLAND BUT
COULDN'T GET TO IT.
>> YEAH, IT WAS A CRAZY TIME.
>> Stephen: NOW YOU PLAY A BRITISH SERVICEMEMBER WHO IS
FLOATING IN THE CHANNEL, RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: GETS PICKED UP.
WHAT'S THE CLIP WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE?
>> SO MY CHARACTER, WE SEE HIM AFTER SOME SORT OF UNKNOWN
CATASTROPHE AND HE'S SITTING INSIDE THE HULL OF, LIKE, A
BORDER SECURITY AND THEN HE'S PICKED UP BY THIS VESSEL CALLED
THE MOON STONER, AND MARK IS THE CAPTAIN OF THE BOAT, AND HE'S
PICKED UP AND REALIZES QUICKLY THAT RATHER THAN GOING HOME HE'S
GOING BACK INTO DUNKIRK AND HE'S PRETTY MESSED UP.
>> Stephen: JIM?
WE HAVEN'T TURNED AROUND.
A JOB TO DO.
A JOB -- THIS IS A PLEASURE YACHT.
YOU'RE WEEKEND SAILORS, NOT THE BLOODY NAVY, AND A MAN YOUR AGE.
>> MEN MY AGE DICTATE THIS WORLD, WHY SHOULD WE BE ALLOWED
TO SEND OUR CHILDREN TO FIGHT IT?
>> YOU SHOULD BE AT HOME!
THERE WON'T BE ANY HOME IF WE ALLOW THEM TO CROSS THE CHANNEL.
>> Stephen: A LOVELY MOVIE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: >> STEPHEN: "DUNKIRK" OPENS THIS
FRIDAY, CILLIAN MURPHY, EVERYBODY.

Cillian Murphy Shares The History Behind His Film 'Dunkirk'

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