Cillian Murphy: The summer's top villain just wants to drink a pint in peace.

COMING SOON: With his soulful eyes and open face, Irish actor Murphy isn't the sort of fellow you'd cross the street to avoid. That might change after his summer of portraying villains, first as asylum warden turned superfiend Scarecrow in the eagerly awaited Batman Begins (July), then as a lethal frequent flier in the Wes Craven psychothriller Red Eye (August). "I'm not out to corner the market on bad guys," says Murphy, 28, who first won fans as a zombie-fighting Everyman in the 2002 cult horror hit 28 Days Later... "I never look at characters as good or bad, just whether they're interesting. Plus, next I'm an alcoholic transvestite [in Neil Jordan’s Breakfast on Pluto]. That should temper any typecasting."

TO THE BAT CAVE: To resuscitate the vegetative Batman franchise, Murphy reports that edgy British director Christopher Nolan (Memento) has eschewed the past films' grandiose or campy aesthetics (no articulated nipples on this bat suit) and their villains' trademark hamminess. "For a superhero movie, it's very naturalistic," Murphy says. "Still, a character like Scarecrow gives you some license from reality." Murphy originally read for the role of Batman, but it didn't take long for Nolan to steer him toward the dark side instead: "I didn't really consider myself Batman material. [Christian] Bale has that square-jawed look, and he's a great fucking actor. But when they offered me the Scarecrow role, I jumped at it."

PLAY TIME: Murphy sang in a band in his hometown of Cork before briefly studying law and finally landing on the stage. "Music is still my passion when I'm not acting," he says. "I bring my guitar when I travel. It's a nice way to unwind." Favorite artists include Van Morrison, Stevie Wonder, and current obsessions Kings of Leon.

FAME GAME: Though he raises a pint to fellow countryman Colin Farrell, Murphy is wary of similar tabloid notoriety. "I live a quiet life and want to keep it that way," he says. "I think I'll be fine at the pub because, for the most part, the Irish are very unimpressed with the whole acting business."

MUST-SEE SUMMER MOVIE: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: "I'm a big fan of the book, and it looks like a load of fun."