As a late St. Patrick’s Day gift, a live-action version of “Jujutsu Kaisen,” was released, featuring everyone’s favorite short Irish king Cillian Murphy as Gojo Satoru. Through method acting, Murphy channeled delusion and underwent cosmetic surgeries to become the truest depiction of anime Gojo, physically and mentally, delivering a far more compelling character than seen before.
The most uncanny resemblance of Murphy to his counterpart was his piercing blue orbs, which are almost identical to Gojo’s own pair. His ocean blue eyes one could drown in are key to his storytelling. Paralleling his nuclear performance in “Oppenheimer,” his role as Gojo in the soul-wrenching, eye-watering, spine-shivering KFC breakup scene perfectly portrayed the character’s hot-blooded inner turmoil within those twin globes — a moment carried by more than just words.
To be even more faithful to Gojo, Murphy ascended anatomy, changing his eyes to match the anime style. The increased brightness and depth’s success made it so that Gojo’s iconic blindfold must be utilized in all real-life instances; one look into the icy spheres would be death at first sight.
Meanwhile, Murphy’s silky voice perfectly embodies Gojo’s confident and striking demeanor. His smooth and sultry delivery of Gojo’s famous “Yowai mo” brought audiences to their knees — yet this is no surprise. Murphy’s voice is renowned for its husky allure and lethal delivery, evident by his airy whispers throughout the film. Murphy also presents Gojo’s nuances by lividly crying “But my soul knows otherwise,” after being deceived by enemy hands. If a voice could kill, theater showings would become graveyards.
Although nearly 20 years Gojo’s senior, this was no problem for the dedicated Murphy. His youthening plastic surgery instantly cut his age in half, essentially turning him into a Gojo wax model that even Oli London couldn’t dream of. Murphy’s mindset was already locked into Gojo’s, undergoing multiple procedures, including a hair transplant extracted from 50 Temu Gojo dolls, and permanently tattooed lipstick to match Gojo’s own — all without skipping a beat.
“I am loving this new transformation for myself,” Murphy said. “I was already Gojo inside, but now I am kawaii on the outside too.”
Though now one with Gojo, the viral instance of Murphy posing using Gojo’s iconic domain expansion hand sign was not just a silly homage — it was an eerily prophetic premonition of his intense method acting. During filming, Murphy became so consumed by Gojo’s identity that he began referencing himself as Gojo in the third person.
“‘Gojo cannot stop expanding Gojo’s domain. Now Gojo am become Gojo, the destroyer of bad cinema and the new Austin Butler,’” Murphy allegedly said, according to his therapist’s patient notes.
Murphy’s dedication cements him as the tortured method actor of this generation. His work ethic is a prime example of live adaptation’s golden age, and all actors should follow in sacrificing their personhood for entertainment’s sake.