Irish stars and dream team Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan stepped out on to the red carpet for the premiere of their new movie, WWII thriller Anthropoid, in Dublin on Wednesday night.
The film, from acclaimed Metro Manila director Sean Ellis, tells the true story of Operation Anthropoid - the mission to kill SS head Reinhard Heydrich, known as "The Butcher of Prague", and right-hand man to Heinrich Himmler and Adolf Hitler.
Dornan and Murphy play the real life duo of Jan Kubis and Josef Gabcík, the soldiers from Czechoslovakia's army in exile who were sent to assassinate the Nazi general.
Speaking to RTÉ on the red carpet, Dornan said: “They’re very relateable characters and I think that’s what resonates with the audience when they see this movie. It certainly resonated with me when I read the script. I found the boys to be identifiable, especially my character, Yann, in the way he responded to the situation closer to the way that I would.”
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“They’re normal human beings who are hopefully relateable to,” said Cork actor Murphy of the duo who set out to assassinate the Nazi leader in the movie. “There are not super soldiers. They are just normal guys thrust into extraordinary circumstances.”
The movie also features Red Rock star Sean Mahon and Tullamore actor Sam Keeley, who is the son of singer and former Voice of Ireland and Irish Eurovision hopeful Brendan Keeley. Sam told RTÉ that he had worked with both Dornan and Murphy before on separate occasions.
Anthropoid director Sean Ellis said that it was “just the luck of the draw” that he ended up casting two Irish actors in the lead roles. “It’s a testament to this country and who much talent is coming out of Ireland." the director said.
Ellis has described bringing Anthropoid to the screen as a "14-year journey" and said it was "immensely humbling" to tell the story of the sacrifice of the men and women of the Czech resistance.
"In the Czech Republic, it is a story of great national pride and it's time to tell the world that story," he added.
Anthropoid, which also stars Toby Jones, Harry Lloyd, Alena Mihulov, and Bill Milner, will open in Irish cinemas next week on September 9.
It is one of two upcoming films about the plot to assassinate Heydrich; the other, HHhH, stars Wicklow actor Jack Reynor as Gabcik and Money Monster's Jack O'Connell as Kubis.
