A giant mural of Cillian Murphy has appeared on Wandsworth High Street – but it remains a mystery who commissioned the piece.
The painting, which covers the side of a large building near the King’s Arms pub, shows Murphy as the title character in Steve, a new Netflix film.
Featuring the Netflix logo and quotes from the film, the mural seems to promote the recent release, but it is unclear exactly how and why the painting was undertaken.
When the Londoners contacted Wandsworth Council, it said it had no knowledge of the mural before being approached about it.
The King’s Arms pub, next door, similarly had no information about the painting, but said it was a ‘very beautiful, very well-done piece’.
Local residents said the artwork appeared suddenly after scaffolding was removed last week.
Luke, 26, from Putney, told the Londoners: “I always love a mural, so yeah, I like it! And I like Cillian Murphy so it’s cool!”
Kem, 33, who lives nearby, added: “It’s better than before – it was just a plain wall. Maybe a bit of a gimmick though.”
When asked if she would watch the film, the Wandsworth local said: “I might watch it – if it came up on my Netflix I might.”
Another Wandsworth resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “Cool. It’s the Netflix one, right?”
However, when asked if they would watch the movie, they replied with: “Probably not.”
Staff at the Black Sheep coffee shop around the corner admitted they had not actually noticed the mural.
The film has no apparent connection to Wandsworth, with the story taking place in a fictional school in mid-1990s England.
Filming for the major motion picture was done in Bath, Somerset, according to 4filming.com.
The film stars Cillian Murphy — best known for Peaky Blinders and Oppenheimer — as Steve, alongside Tracey Ullman, Emily Watson, and Little Simz.
The Peaky Blinders actor also produced the film, in line with his production company, Big Things Films.
Steve follows one pivotal day in the life of a headteacher as he tries to keep a ‘last-chance reform school’ for boys open, while also dealing with his own mental health and the challenges of staff and students.
The film is currently streaming on Netflix after a limited cinema run last month.
Featured image: A mural of Cillian Murphy’s new film Steve. Credit: Meg Louise Davies
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