Автор: Dan Portnoy

Many actors have turned from the stage to screen and vice versa over the years because theater and film acting offer different things. Native to Ireland, Cillian Murphy got his start in the theater. His breakout role in American film came in 2002 with the horror thriller 28 Days Later... Since then he has taken on a number of diverse cinematic roles and has still managed to continue his theater career. Most recently, Cillian stars along side Rachael McAdams in Red Eye, the new thriller by Wes Craven that takes terror and suspense to a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet.

In the film, Rachel McAdams plays Lisa Reisert, a business woman who hates to fly. Cillian's character, Jackson Rippner, meets Lisa and the two have an instant connection. Oddly enough the two are taking the same flight and what's even stranger is that the two are seated next to each other on the plane. Once in the air, Jackson reveals his true self to Lisa, that their meeting was not a coincidence. He tells her that he is an assassin engaged in a plot to kill a powerful businessman, and Lisa is an integral part of that plan. If she does not comply with Jackson’s instructions, her father will be killed by an assassin waiting for a call.

Cillian is able to play the charmer-turned-psychotic mastermind with such believability. When the audience first meets him they trust him just as Lisa does. The fun for Cillian was being able to bend and mold the psychological elements that made up his character. "The psychological stuff was grand that's like getting inside the mind of some body, behaving in a way that you never, ever, ever conceive of doing." That's what drew Cillian to the acting profession. It was the chance to take on the life of a different person, something that his other choice of occupation, a lawyer, could not have offered him.

Once the first trailer of Red Eye was revealed, there was talk of it as a post 9/11 film. Cillian doesn't see it that way, however, and sees the film more as a character piece rather then a political statement. "For me it was about two people under pressure, not a political film, not a comment on anything else. I mean 9/11; aviation will never be the same again so everything pulls 9/11." I guess any movie that takes place on a plane post 9/11 will carry those same assumptions and fears that occurred as a result of the attack, whether or not it's the message the film is sending.

Since 28 Days Later..., Cillian has acted in a variety of roles: Girl With a Pearl Earring, Cold Mountain, and just this summer, Batman Begins. In Red Eye he returns to the thriller/ horror genre. Granted, both films are extremely different, but it makes you wonder if Cillian has a special place in his heart for the horror film. "I don't really like horror films actually; they scare the shit out of me. I just try to insist upon diversity. That's the one thing I try and do so it's different, that I haven't done before that you look at and go 'God could I do that?'" So horror isn't really Cillian's cup of tea, it's playing different characters that he enjoys.

Surprisingly enough, Cillian's passion is not limited solely to film acting. "I love music and aside from acting it's what I'm most passionate about…I get more of a kick out of meeting musicians than I do meeting actors." Aside from daydreaming himself into rock star status, Cillian enjoys all aspects of the fine arts, primarily the theater. In fact, Cillian got his start in the theater, and his success on the stage led him into the film industry. But since Cillian's acting career has taken off, his time to do theater has become less flexible. "I loved doing theater when I started off. First two years all I did was theater. I didn't do anything else. The good roles in theater aren't going away…when there's opportunity in film, like with a good director you kind of have to seize that." With the way his cinematic career has been taking off, his return to the theater may experience a longer delay than intended. But that really doesn't bother Cillian who is content with his career at present.

This cinematic career which has kept growing since 2002, has put Cillian into the spotlight of both the public and the paparazzi. For a man who enjoys being himself regardless of the speculation, i.e., leaving to go on a meeting two days before he and his wife married, is a fallacy. "Buzz, heat, they're all just words that journalists use and they don't really affect my life in any way and my life hasn't really changed significantly at all." And you can't help but have respect for a person who is willing to keep their chin up in the mist of all of the Hollywood hubbub. Coming up for Cillian is Breakfast on Pluto in which he portrays a transvestite cabaret singer. That should satisfy Cillian's need for character diversity. It is set for a 2005 release. Also coming up in 2006 is the Sci-Fi thriller, Sunshine, and The Wind That Shakes the Barley, a war drama that takes place in Ireland. With all his upcoming work, the traveling from place to place for location shooting must be exciting yet exhausting. "It's great to get the opportunity to travel with this job but I very much like my house and my coffee maker and stuff like that." Ah, it's the simple pleasures in life that really make it all worth while.