Cillian Murphy’s 19-year-old son Aran Murphy has suddenly become an internet sensation — and fans say one look at him is enough to know exactly who his famous father is. The young actor sparked a huge reaction after making his first solo red-carpet appearance in London.
Aran attended a special screening of the new comedy series Youth, in which he plays one of the leading roles. But after a video interview from the premiere appeared online, attention quickly shifted from his new project to his extraordinary resemblance to his Oscar-winning father.
Clips of Aran rapidly spread across social media, attracting more than four million views. Viewers pointed to his facial features and Cillian’s famously high cheekbones, but many argued the similarities go far beyond appearance. They noticed the same expressions, gestures, distinctive way of speaking, voice and even the habit of keeping his hands in his pockets while answering questions.
The reactions were immediate. “There’s no need to mention his name — you all know who his father is,” one viewer joked. Another described Aran as the result of Cillian using “copy and paste,” while others wrote, “The apple didn’t even fall,” and, “I’ve never identified someone’s parentage so quickly in my life.”
Aran is already establishing an acting career separate from his father’s. Alongside Youth, he has a role in the upcoming legal drama War with Sienna Miller and is preparing to make his feature-film debut in Taika Waititi’s science-fiction movie Klara and the Sun alongside Jenna Ortega. Like his famously private father, Aran does not maintain public social-media accounts.
Aran is the younger of Cillian’s two sons with his wife, Yvonne McGuinness. Their eldest son, Malachy, is 20. Cillian, now 50, first met Yvonne in 1996 at a concert by his rock band, and the couple married in 2004.
Now Aran is beginning to attract attention on his own — although judging by the viral reaction to his first solo red carpet, escaping comparisons with his famous father may prove nearly impossible.
