The Forum Is Dead

[shwoop]

With snappy unwelcoming comments like yours is it any wonder that people are deleting their accounts left and right? Of course members don't "owe" Cillian anything. The point that went over your head is why people who don't care for him, meaning people like *you*, are spending any time at all on this board.

[siamesedream]

People shouldn't be blaming one another for a forum being quiet. Seen a lot of other forums that are quieter than they use to be so it's not just here. If members dont like that it's quite here, they should speak up and add something to the conversations not be critical of other members. I will try to myself.

[razzthekid]

I hate to drag this thread up again because reading back through it just made me irritated.

That said, I feel I have to say how I feel about the subject because I see some people blaming Cillian's personality which I think is completely wrong and unfair.

I agree with Siamesedream too- i'm a member of a few other forums and they all seem have quietened down in recent months and even recent years. I think it has a lot to do with Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram and so on. Forums just aren't as popular as they once were. There are newer and more exciting things on the internet these days!

As a long time Cillian fan I have to say I find it really strange when people complain about his behaviour in interviews and say he doesn't do anything to promote himself in a good light. We all know that Cillian is a notoriously quiet and reserved person- the fact that he chooses to stay based in London, is married to someone who isn't a big celebrity and the fact that he never behaves like a celebrity in everyday life should tell us all that he's not interested in being a "star" and playing the role that Hollywood expects. It's only in the last few decades that it's suddenly become expected of actors to have some sort of amazing persona that they charm us with and the whole interview thing to promote movies is also pretty new. Cillian's choice of roles also seems to reflect what he wants to get out of his career. Yeah so he did Inception and could most likely have gone on to bigger things, if he wanted! but obviously he chose not to. He always says he like doing indie films and I loved Retreat (as did my brother and Dad) and I really respect him for going back to theatre so often.

We as fans have no right to impose our wishes on Cillian or to have any expectations of how he should behave or what way he should handle his career. In my opinion Cillian is a rare thing in an era of celebs plastered in newspapers and on TV and giving up every little detail of their personal lives to the public. He is an actor. That's all. Not a "star" or a "celebrity personality" who strives to get people to like him as a person and find him attractive and lovable. The main thing for him seems to be to get the acting done right and let it speak for itself. That's the job, not the countless, repetitive interviews and media slots he has to do.

Sure a lot of people won't agree with m on this but I think fair play to Cillian for being himself, I'd say half the actors doing these interviews are being completely fake and basically acting in them too, but Cillian isn't. He is who he is, a quiet laid back guy and a fantastic actor who isn't buying into the Hollywood stereotype or lifestyle. Personally this only makes me love him more.

Forums always go through phases and ups and downs, It's normal and we just have to see it through.

[Cait]

This thread was very difficult for me to read. Admittedly, I have lost a lot of interest in Cillian's projects, but it's very sad to see that many people have also lost interest, for various reasons. About Cillian's fandom, I will say that I have noticed how aggressive it can be, especially on tumblr. I don't understand it, so I can't begin to explain it, but it could definitely be a reason as to why people are disappearing.

Personally, I don't blame Cillian himself. I've always known how he is in interviews, so I wasn't ever expecting that to change. Like Pisces said, Cillian's latest projects have been limited release, and haven't reached all of his fan base. The last movie I saw of Cillian's was Red Lights, and I thought it was one of his worst roles. After that, there just seemed to be a severe lull in activity. I think seeing a lack of excitement on the forum also had an effect on me. It's not just one thing, it's a combination. I'm busy with college and other things in real life, and I have other interests. I will always love Cillian. He is a brilliant actor, but I'm not as committed to following his career as I once was.

With all of that said, I will continue to check this forum. I may disappear for a few months, but I'll still be watching (that doesn't sound creepy at all ). One thing is for sure, I love this forum and I love its members, old and new. I want to apologize for my lack of activity on here, it certainly doesn't help. We had an amazing community here, and I hold onto hope that it is not completely lost.

[emnic286]

I am going to admit I've not kept up with what Cillian's been up to for some time now. In all honesty I have lost a certain amount of interest in what's happening with him (although not 100%). I am definitely much more of a casual fan of his work now than I started off as being when first becoming interested in his work around 2009 or so.

I know in my case I really don't think it's helped that there's not very much news about and so after so long, with a lack of things to feed my interest that interest faded somewhat. It is very difficult to sustain an interest in any actor who isn't very active with their work. There is only so long anybody can talk about old films before running out of things to say and sooner or later one wants new things to talk about.

I have had the strong impression that Cillian isn't terribly ambitious when it comes to his career. Maybe he likes the acting itself but not all the promotion stuff that goes with being well known in the public eye. Unfortunately the two tend to come together as a package in his kind of job, and if this is the case (only saying if, of course I don't know) then I think it really would have been better if he'd asked himself if this was the right career choice for him to follow. If he's been feeling half hearted about the work he does (which to me appears to be the likely case) it can't be making him happy personally and it's no good for his fans/followers either - as it lets them down. I wish he'd just be honest about it.

Hoping I didn't offend anybody here with my comments by the way. ;-) I think it's a such a big shame that this forum has gone back to being as quiet as it has, but at the same time can't say I'm too surprised. :-(

[impeachy]

Most of the people here have already offered good reasons as to why the forum is dying. I think most of them are true, like social media giving us instant access to Cillian news, etc. and also, people might be scared to post out of fear of negative reactions.

I just want to say what I think about Cillian's career trajectory.

I think Cillian still generates some interest among people who have recently discovered his work. He might not be a superstar, but there are still people out there who remain loyal to him or follow him after seeing his more recent work.

Most of the people in this thread have made a lot of valid points, whether they're defending Cillian's choices or expressing disappointment in his behavior in interviews or for his career choices. One thing's for sure, and that is Cillian really doesn't care what the public thinks. He marches to the beat of his own drum. He said in a recent interview that he tells his agent which project he would be doing. He doesn't let other people decide for him.

It's really pointless for people to argue about their opinions of Cillian when he probably doesn't care what the public thinks. Personally, I don't have a problem with that. I wish his latest films and Peaky Blinders were more accessible to me, but I still respect and admire him for striving to be what he wants to become. He also said in an interview that he wanted to be a "working actor" -- an actor in movies, TV and film. That's exactly what he's doing and he's continuing to challenge himself by treading new ground. It's funny that people resent him for the very thing that made him stand out from most actors, which is his reticence and his wish to keep his private life away from the public eye. Sometimes what you love about a person could also be the thing that you hate about him.

I salute him for venturing into TV, as most movie actors are also shifting to the medium, and I understand his reasons for wanting work that is close to his family. Working from one project to another while trying to stay close to your family can really keep you from taking bigger and more ambitious projects that could boost your career. Cillian loves acting, but he values other things in his life that don't involve his career, which would probably be why he's not so aggressive in going after roles in big-budget movies.

If he is indeed losing interest in his profession, I think most of us go through periods of self-doubt or confusion in our chosen careers. At least he's choosing to work with people and projects he holds in great esteem. If we were to observe any other actor's filmography, not all of them are churning out one critically-acclaimed work or blockbuster year after year. There will be lulls in any actor's career. There are even Oscar winners who disappear off the Hollywood map or who haven't done anything worthwhile in years.

I think we should have more faith in him. We find his lack of ambition disappointing because it seems like his talent is going unnoticed, like he's just throwing it all away, when he could be so much more. Maybe it will take time before he gets the acclaim or next big break he deserves, but I still believe it will happen one day because he keeps going at his craft. What matters is he doesn't stop acting, no matter how slow things may look like now. Some actors get big breaks or acclaim later on in their careers. Who knows? There will be another good year for him other than 2005. I wish him all the best.

One last thing -- I hope forum members can all agree to disagree without getting into any arguments. We're all here for Cillian. Let's keep it that way.