âI avoid the monitor when Iâm making films,â the actor Cillian Murphy narrates in his new Versace ad spot, âbecause itâs a different character, you know?â
The newly minted Academy Award winner plays himselfâor a version of himself, at leastâin the Italian labelâs latest Versace Icons campaign, which the brand first announced following Murphyâs big win last month. (The actor had hinted at the upcoming ambassadorship on Oscars night with his custom-made Atelier Versace tux.) Itâs a departure from the chameleonic film roles Murphy typically selects. On a movie set, he says he avoids the playback monitor because âyou never want toâ¦affect what your kind of journey is.â But in the Versace spot, heâs down to watch the footage roll in.
The commercial, which takes inspiration from the boldly sexy Versace Menâs campaigns of the 1990s, offers a behind-the-scenes look at its own making. Filmed amidst the bustling atmosphere of the photo shoot, Murphy wears pieces from Versaceâs essentials-focused Icons line: a simple white tank layered under a tailored black jacket with matching high-waisted trousers, belted with a golden Medusa buckle; a khaki trench with a back panel constructed from one of the brandâs splashy Barocco-printed silk scarves.
Soundtracking the clip is the song handpicked by Murphy himself: âBoys in the Better Landâ by the actorâs fellow Irishmen, the Dublin post-punk band Fontaines D.C.
âCollaborating with Donatellaâfrom sharing image references to selecting the music of Fontaines D.C. for the videoâresulted in a campaign that reflects who I am,â the actor said in a statement. Heâd previously included the band on his BBC 6 Music playlist: âThese boys are really exploding,â he said then, shouting out their 2019 album Dogrel. âEvery single tune, theyâre relentlessly themselves.â
Murphy co-stars in the Versace Icons campaign alongside Anne Hathaway, whom he incidentally also appeared alongside in Christopher Nolanâs 2012 superhero sequel The Dark Knight Rises.
âStrong, direct, iconic. For me, Anne and Cillian are two of the best actors of today,â Donatella Versace said in a statement. âExceptionally talented and kind people I admire and respect, looking their best. Very Versace.â