"Why should she have to perform?" - Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy sympathizes with Naomi Osaka over mutual dislike of interviews

Cillian Murphy of 'Peaky Blinders' fame, soon set to grace the silver screen as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer,' sympathized with tennis superstar Naomi Osaka in a recent interview.

As someone who isn't a big fan of press interactions himself, Murphy acknowledged the time Osaka refused to attend mandatory press conferences at the 2021 French Open citing her mental health.

The Irish actor admitted that it's not fair to expect her to "perform" in front of journalists whenever necessary, while at the same time admitting that he understands why press interviews are necessary:

“Because why should she have to perform? ... But I get it. I get it’s a kind of ecosystem where the film feeds the publicity which feeds the talkshows which goes back and feeds the film, so, like, that’s how it works."

"I suppose I’m just not good at it. At interviews, at this stuff. Do you know what Sam Beckett said? ‘I have no views to inter.’ I love that. That should be the interview,” Cillian Murphy said in an interview with The Guardian.

In Naomi Osaka's case, her decision not to attend press conferences was not taken lightly by the French Tennis Federation, who fined her $15,000.

The four-time Grand Slam champion eventually withdrew from the tournament, remarking that the situation had gotten out of her control and that she did not want to become a distraction to other players.

“This isn’t a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris," Naomi Osaka said.

“I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly I would never trivialise mental health or use the term lightly,” she added.

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"I have suffered long bouts of depression, have had a really hard time coping with that" - Naomi Osaka

Tennis - Olympics: Day 3

During her withdrawal announcement, Naomi Osaka also said that she had been struggling with depression and anxiety for a long time and that she had had a really hard time coping with it.

"Anyone that knows me knows I'm introverted, and anyone that has seen me at the tournaments will notice that I'm often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety," Naomi Osaka said.

"I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly. The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018, and I have had a really hard time coping with that," she added.

The former World No. 1's revelation led to widespread support from the tennis community. Many athletes professed solidarity with Osaka and called for better conversation around mental health, espeically in the world of competitive sports.