“Why should she have to perform?”

Cillian Murphy of “Peaky Blinders” fame quickly warmed to the silver screen tribute as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” sympathized with tennis star Naomi Osaka in a recent interview.

As someone who isn’t a huge fan of press interactions, 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 was not fair to expect her to “perform” in front of reporters as often as necessary, while at the same time admitting that he understood why interviews were necessary in the industry.

“Why does she have to perform? … But I get it. I get it. I get that it’s kind of an ecosystem where the movie feeds the propaganda that feeds the talk shows that come back and feed the movie, so, like that, like that, that’s how it works.”

“I suppose I’m not very good at that. At interviews, at this stuff. You know what Sam Beckett said?” I have no opinions to interfere. I love it,” said Cillian Murphy in an interview with The Guardian. This should be the interview.”

In the case of Naomi Osaka, 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, stating that the situation had gotten out of her control and that she did not want to become a distraction for other players.

“This is not a situation at all that I imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I now think the best thing for the tournament, the other players, and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can focus on the tennis that is going on in Paris,” said Naomi Osaka.

“I never wanted to be a distraction and accept that the timing wasn’t perfect and that my message could be a little clearer. Most importantly, I wouldn’t disparage mental health or use the term lightly.”

“I had long bouts of depression, and I had a hard time dealing with that.” – Naomi Osaka

During her withdrawal announcement, Naomi Osaka also revealed that she had been suffering from depression and anxiety for a long time and had a hard time dealing with that.

“Anyone who knows me knows that I am an introvert, and anyone who has seen me in tournaments will notice that I often wear headphones because it helps relieve my social anxiety,” said Naomi Osaka.

She added, “I would never disparage mental health or use the term lightly. The truth is, I’ve had prolonged bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018, and I’ve struggled with that.”

The discovery of the former world number one led to widespread support from the tennis community, with many athletes declaring solidarity with Osaka and calling for a better conversation about mental health, particularly in the world of competitive sports.