Her story, nominated for the Booker Prize, was a work of historical fiction about the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland and an ordinary man suffering from repressed trauma who could not force himself to look away at Christmas in 1985. The beauty and complexities of prose were themes that lingered in Murphy’s mind. The Irish actor was also thinking of starting his own production company. Miraculously, the rights were available.

In a nod to the film being released in North American theaters on Friday, Murphy and his producing partner Alan Moloney named their company Big Things Films.

“We were like, if you call it Small Things films, it would show a real lack of ambition,” Murphy said, laughing slightly. “We thought it would be better to call it Big Things Films.”

“Small Things Like These” was made after “Oppenheimer” but before it won the Oscar, on which Murphy is still working. However, work keeps him busy. His company already has another film in post-production, “Steve”, based on the novel “Shy” by Max Porter. And in September, he began filming the movie “Peaky Blinders.”

Murphy spoke to The Associated Press about being a “serial re-collaborator” before moving on to “Peaky Blinders,” winning an Oscar, and the humbling and humbling experience of pitching the film to Matt Damon during a one-night shoot on “Oppenheimer.” Comments have been edited for clarity and brevity. : What made you want to see Claire’s book made into a film?

Murphy: It seems to be a simple story, but it’s actually incredibly complex in the way it talks about society and complexity and shame and guilt and secrecy and fear and all those things. I felt like it had a lot to offer the audience. :And as an actor, what opportunities did you see in your character?

Murphy: It’s a male protagonist written by a woman, but it’s a story about women. That was quite interesting and unconventional. And the story actually begins when the movie ends. The real drama happens after that. And I think that’s absolutely unconventional and quite radical. Bill is a man because of what happened to him as a child and his mother experienced this act of charity. And then these horrible acts of cruelty that these other girls are experiencing – that’s what’s bringing her to this place in her life.

Claire actually said on a podcast, someone said “Oh, what a heroic act” and she said “No, he’s no hero, he’s just a guy who is having a nervous breakdown.” I thought it was really smart. And that’s how I tried to play it.

It all comes back, as it does with men, in middle age. They actually begin to realize their own mortality and have children of their own. Then it seems as if everything has fallen upon them. And this is beautifully captured by Claire and Enda. : There are a lot of people involved in this film that you’ve worked with before, from director Tim Millants to your “Disco Pigs” friends. Why did you call them?

Murphy: I’m kind of a serial collaborator again. I love working with people again. And I really strongly believe that you get the best work out of trust and friendship. I’ve worked with Enda in theater four or five times and he’s usually brilliant. I knew he loved Claire’s book and would understand that world. And Eileen, it’s very hard to act on 20 years of history, but when you have 28 years of history, you get it for free. She is an exceptionally powerful actress. She can do anything. : Matt Damon is also the creator of Artists Equity. How did that come about?

Murphy: My producing partner was working with Matt on a U2 documentary about Zaragoza, and I was working with Matt on “Oppenheimer.” This was a pincer movement. I remember it was like shooting at night in the desert, and we were waiting for the rain to pass or the light to get better. And he was telling me about Artist Equity. I said okay, I have this script and I gave it to him. Its taste is very good. He is a great filmmaker and actor, a legend and a lovely human being. He really understands these types of stories. And immediately he said, yes, we are going. : Do you feel that the Oscar win and the success of “Oppenheimer” in any way helped this film gain more interest from American distributors?

Murphy: I don’t really know about it, because it feels so new and fresh. You know, it’s very hard to speak about because it was such a humbling and almost passive experience, because you don’t really have any control over other people voting on what you do. But if it allows us to tell the kind of stories I want to tell, that have a point of view, that have something to say, then I’ll take it.

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