By Lucas Hill-Paul

Copyright irishmirror

Netflix film Steve starring Cillian Murphy and based on the novel by Max Porter is one of the most eagerly awaited new releases of the year. The critically acclaimed drama about the headmaster of a school for lads with behavioural problems has finally dropped on the streaming platform today (Friday, 3rd October). Murphy plays the title character, an educator who develops a connection with troubled teenager Shy (portrayed by Jay Lycurgo) whilst simultaneously battling his own mental health struggles. The picture has garnered positive reviews thus far, with The Guardian describing Murphy’s performance as “outstanding”, whilst other critics have highlighted its difficult-to-digest subject matter. Beyond Murphy and his other familiar co-stars, including Tracey Ullman and Emily Watson, audiences may be curious about where they’ve spotted newcomer Lycurgo previously, reports the Express . The 27 year old will probably be recognised by many viewers as he’s appeared in several prominent TV and cinema projects before sharing the screen with the Irish Oscar-winner. British actor Lycurgo was raised in Croydon and launched his acting journey with various small parts in some legendary British programmes. He made his television debut in an episode of the enduring BBC One series Doctors in 2019 before playing a character named Marcus in Michaela Coel’s celebrated drama I May Destroy You the subsequent year. Lycurgo also secured a small part in the Portuguese film Listen and featured in an episode of the Fox series War of the Worlds. In 2021, the young performer secured his first major recurring part in the HBO Max and DC Universe series Titans, playing Tim Drake, the third version of Batman’s sidekick Robin. Just a year later, he would feature in another Batman project, 2022’s The Batman starring Robert Pattinson, as a young gang member at the beginning of the comic book blockbuster. 2022 witnessed the actor taking on more prominent roles, securing a main part in BBC One sitcom Cheaters as well as headlining the Netflix series The B****** Son & The Devil Himself as Nathan Byrne, based on the supernatural Half Bad series of books by Sally Green. He characterised the series as an “X-rated Harry Potter”, comparing the action-packed fantasy drama to Misfits, Twilight and Skins. In 2024, he maintained his supernatural momentum with roles in Ben Wheatley’s zombie drama Generation Z and Sky’s vampire film The Radleys, starring Kelly MacDonald. Following Steve, Lycurgo has at least three more films in the pipeline, including the eagerly awaited Peaky Blinders sequel, The Immortal Man, in which he’ll reunite with his co-star Murphy as Tommy Shelby. His part in the film remains unconfirmed. He’ll also be featuring in the epic romance film Eternal Return, starring Naomi Scott and Kit Harington, and will portray Oli in the adaptation of Enda Walsh’s novel I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning. This will also star Anthony Boyle, Joe Cole and Daryl McCormack. Steve is available to stream on Netflix.