Cillian Murphy Just Wants to 'Have a Good Time' at Oscars, 'Hasn't Thought' About Where He'd Keep Statue

The 'Oppenheimer' star is up for Best Actor at the upcoming 96th Academy Awards

For Cillian Murphy, the upcoming Oscars 2024 will be a time to simply enjoy the moment.

The 47-year-old actor is up for Best Actor at the ceremony for his starring role as the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer, in Christopher Nolan's 2023 blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer.

Speaking with reporters at Thursday's Oscar Wilde Awards in Santa Monica, California, Murphy said of Sunday's Academy Awards, "I just want to go in and have a good time this weekend."

He also admitted he hasn't "really thought of" the fact that a victory would make him the first Irish man to win an Oscar — or where he'd keep the trophy, should he win.

"I haven't thought about that," Murphy said.

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Related: Pierce Brosnan Says Cillian Murphy Would 'Do a Magnificent Job' Playing James Bond

Murphy is considered a frontrunner for the Best Actor trophy following similar wins earlier this year at the Golden Globe Awards, SAG Awards and BAFTA Awards.

But the veteran Irish actor — who is also known for his movie roles in 28 Days Later (2002), Red Eye (2005), Sunshine (2007) and several Nolan-directed films, as well as a lead role on the television series Peaky Blinders — has remained humble, more complimentary to his colleagues than himself.

Aside from giving credit to Nolan, 53, and his Oppenheimer crew and castmates, Murphy told PEOPLE at the Oscar Wilde Awards on Thursday that one of the most "surreal" parts of the current awards season has just been "being in the room with all these amazing filmmakers — people that you've watched as a kid."

Asked what the last few months of the awards circuit have felt like for him personally, the actor said it has "been amazing" and "a whirlwind."

Related: Cillian Murphy Shares the Low-Key — and Yummy — Way He Toasted His Oscar Nom for Oppenheimer (Exclusive)

"I keep saying it's just very flattering, and we just feel full of gratitude. Well, I certainly do," Murphy told PEOPLE.

A first-time Oscar nominee, Murphy is facing off in the Best Actor category this Sunday alongside fellow nominees Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Colman Domingo (Rustin), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction).

Oppenheimer leads the race with a whopping 13 nominations, followed by the Emma Stone-starring Poor Things, which earned 11. Killers of the Flower Moon received 10 nods, while last year's biggest hit Barbie scored eight and American Fiction netted five.

The 96th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will air live on Sunday, March 10, from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

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