Whether it be as one half of a destructive set of twins in dark drama Disco Pigs (2001), psychopathic villain Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in comic book thriller Batman Begins (2005), or cross-dressing Kitten in comedy Breakfast on Pluto (2005), Irish-born actor Cillian Murphy certainly makes quite an impact on screen. Ever since he exploded onto the scene in Danny Boyle’s surprise horror hit 28 Days Later...

 

 (2002), his performance as the startled rage-infection survivor Jim being the perfect blend of intense fear and violent action, Murphy has been consistently turning out one cracking performance after another. He can hold his own alongside Hollywood’s A-list in profile outings including Cold Mountain (2003) and Red Eye (2005), as well as play it down for more intimate affairs like Intermission (2003) and Girl With a Pearl Earring (2003). His latest project, The Wind That Shakes the Barley—which slips easily into the latter category—sees him as Damien, a man living in early 20th century Ireland whose relationship with his brother Teddy (Pádraic Delaney) is torn apart by the anti-British rebellion. Murphy explains that it was precisely this explosive subject matter, and the moral implications for his character, that dew him to the project.

"[I was interested in] the fact that Damien is a medical student and he has to kill people," he explains. "The character says at one point that he has studied anatomy and now he has to shoot a kid. Historically, in the faculty of medicine at Cork, they were heavily politicized and took action. Damien has to make a decision based on what he sees around him, but it's a terrible dilemma to face whether or not to act for the bigger cause. I think the film is about the process of arriving at a conviction and then following that through."

Murphy also divulges that working on the film taught him a great deal about the history of his homeland. "We learned about this period but quite superficially," he says of his time at school. "I grew up in the city of Cork, and the film is set in the surrounding county. People don't tell you unsolicited things about what happened in the 1920s, you have to ask around for their stories. It's only two generations ago. In my distant family there have been incidents, even though we're not a particularly politicized family. It's in the background."

There is no doubt that The Wind That Shakes the Barley is one of Murphy's most personal films to date, but the project also had another major draw in that it gave him the opportunity to work with acclaimed director Ken Loach. "Without sounding like a luvvie actor, [working with Ken] was a very pure experience and very divorced from the whole nonsense of normal film-making," he recalls of his time on set. "There's a whole lot of stuff around most film-making that seems totally excessive and absurd when you're doing it. Ken has managed to make these films without getting involved in any of that stuff. It was very freeing and liberating and at the same time it's quite scary not knowing where you are going in terms of the character. But I loved that and it was completely different to what I'd done before."

And, as the actor explains, sometimes having no special treatment is refreshing.

"There are no big trailers for the actors on Ken's sets," he says. "We move around from community centre to community centre in Cork and the different locations and all the people in the various communities get involved and help out. There's no hanging around, because of the way he works with Barry Ackroyd, his cameraman, in terms of the lighting. If we're shooting interiors, we can shoot from anywhere, so there's no need for re-lights. Everyone mucks in. I know it sounds like some sort of cinematic Utopia, but it does work, it does exist!"

Up next for Murphy are two completely different projects again. Firstly we'll be seeing him in screenwriter Paul Soter's (Super Troopers, Beerfest) directorial début, comedy Watching the Detectives, in which Murphy plays a film noir buff who has his life turned upside down by a real life femme fatale (Lucy Lui [sic]). Then he'll be reuniting with his 28 Days Later... director Danny Boyle for sci-fi thriller Sunshine, in which he'll play one of a team of astronauts sent to revive the dying sun. "I've really tried for a diversity in the roles and the types of films I do," Murphy explains of his continually varied choices. "That's what actors should be able to do. Personally I like actors who disappear into roles, and pop up in unlikely parts, and who you've no idea of as people. It's worth waiting for the roles that are a little but more challenging."