Автор: Elisabeth Franck-Dumas

After establishing himself as Hollywood's favourite villain, Cillian Murphy gives a star-making turn in Neil Jordan's latest.

Although Cillian Murphy romanced Scarlett Johansson in Girl With a Pearl Earring and nearly saved the world in 28 Days Later..., the actor's most memorable recent performances—as a ruthless killer in Red Eye and as the blood-curdling Scarecrow in Batman Begins—have begun to typecast him as the ideal preppy psychopath.

This month, Murphy's poignant turn as an androgynous cross-dresser in Neil Jordan's vibrant, surreal epic Breakfast on Pluto offers proof of his versatility. On-screen for most of the film, which is set in Northern Ireland and London in the seventies, the 29-year old is riveting as Patrick "Kitten" Braden, abandoned at birth and determined to find happiness, gracefully flitting from wit to coquetry to unexpected fortitude.

"I like characters who are under a lot of pressure; the potential for drama is greater," Murphy confides over a glass of red wine in London. "But of all the characters I have played, Kitten's definitely the one I have the most affection for."

In person, Murphy is not half as flamboyant, or as frightening, as his recent roles might suggest. Scruffy in a navy-blue sweater and an army jacket, his hair long and still damp from a shower after a day on the set of Danny Boyle's Sunshine, he is as unpretentious as his North London neighbourhood. His conversation ranges from a recent Bob Dylan documentary (from which he can quote by memory) to the beauty of Provence, where he married artist Yvonne McGuinness a year ago.

While he doesn't foresee moving to Hollywood anytime soon—"I'm European; it's too different there"—New York could claim him, especially since, originally a stage actor, he hopes to work on Broadway soon. Other wishes include working with French director Michel Gondry, whom Murphy calls "visionary." But after moving from a feature by Ken Loach straight to Boyle's set, he includes a break among his most immediate plans.

"I'd like to take some time off and read books," he says. "Buy milk. Play my guitar. Do some gardening. Spend time with my wife." Nothing psycho about that.