Top 10 Cillian Murphy

Irish actor Cillian Murphy has spent the past two decades making a name for himself at home and abroad. Since his career-defining role in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later… the prominent young actor has captured the attention of auteur directors across the globe, working with Christopher Nolan, Ken Loach, Anthony Minghella and Wes Craven. With Inception released this week, expect to see more from this 34-year-old actor.

His Top 10 Films

How Harry Became a Tree (2001)

Winner of the Golden Lion Award at Venice Film Festival, How Harry Became a Tree, aka The Bitter Harvest, sees a fresh-faced 24-year-old Cillian Murphy at home on Irish turf. At the heart of the film, director Goran Paskaljevic delves into a strained father-son relationship with Murphy and Colm Meaney at the helm. This film marks the beginning of Murphy’s continual work with independent filmmakers.

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28 Days Later... (2002)

In 2002 Murphy teamed up with director Danny Boyle to play a civilian caught in the midst of an incurable pandemic. This post-apocalyptic story catapulted Murphy’s career, opening up several doors in the industry. The film was a huge box office success and received a throng of positive reviews from critics. Its success spawned a sequel starring Robert Carlisle and a graphic novel, entitled 28 Days Later: The Aftermath.

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Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

Based on the novel by Tracy Chevalier, and named after the painting of the same name by painter Johannes Vermeer, this Oscar-nominated drama sees Murphy in a role most men would envy – opposite Scarlett Johansson. Murphy donned shoulder length, strawberry blonde locks for the part, ditching his trademark dark looks to give a convincing performance as Dutch boy Pieter. In the novel, Murphy’s character features more prominently than he does in the film.

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Batman Begins (2005)

Murphy takes on both Batman and big-budget action in director Christopher Nolan’s version of the comic classic. Murphy read for the part of Bruce Wayne, as did Joshua Jackson, Hugh Dancy and Jake Gyllenhaal, but Christian Bale impressed above the rest. Eager to cast Murphy in this BAFTA-nominated film, Nolan called the actor back to read for the part of The Scarecrow, which he later reprises in Nolan’s sequel, The Dark Knight.

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Red Eye (2005)

After the success of Batman, Murphy was presented with the prospect of playing the bad-guy once again in the in-flight thriller Red Eye, from heavyweight horror director Wes Craven. Murphy is said to have been so keen on the part of terrorist Jackson, that he flew across the pond two days before his wedding to talk with Craven. Red Eye received high critical praise and stormed the box office, doubling its budget.

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Breakfast on Pluto (2005)

In 2005 Murphy teamed up with Interview with the Vampire director Neil Jordan for Breakfast on Pluto. Murphy’s drag-act received rave reviews and earned him a Golden Globe nod. To find his feminine side, Murphy is said to have spent several weeks partying with a transvestite. In the original novel by Patrick McCabe, Murphy’s character is called ‘Pussy’ but Jordan felt the title was too brazen for the film and opted instead for ‘Kitten’.

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The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

The Wind That Shakes the Barley takes its title from an Irish ballad written by Robert Dwyer Joyce. Set during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War, this Ken Loach film sees Murphy sharing screen-time with a mostly Irish cast. Initial responses were muted, with only 30 prints being distributed in the UK. However, after the film scooped the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the distribution increased to 105 cinemas.

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Sunshine (2007)

After working together on 28 Days later, Murphy and Danny Boyle return to the theme of post-apocalyptic doom in the 2007 sci-fi-thriller, Sunshine. Boyle reportedly insisted that the whole cast practice the art of method acting, by confining them to living quarters together - in the hope it would achieve a convincing portrayal of solitary confinement in space.

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Perrier's Bounty (2010)

On home turf once again, Murphy joins Brendan Gleeson, John Broadbent and Jodie Whittaker in the comedy-drama Perrier’s Bounty. Complete with a voiceover by acclaimed actor Gabriel Byrne, this Irish crime-caper received mixed reviews and bombed at the box office. However, it lands firmly on this list due to its A-list cast, and once again demonstrates Murphy’s loyalty to independent filmmaking, despite having found Hollywood fame.

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Inception (2010)

Director Chris Nolan seems to have a habit of casting Cillian Murphy and then putting a bag over his head (see also his character the Scarecrow in the Batman series). Notwithstanding such treatment, Murphy delivers a sympathetically vulnerable performance as Robert Fischer Jr, target of Leonardo DiCaprio’s corporate spy Dom Cobb. Although the film is extremely complex, Nolan gave Murphy only a few hours to read the script and choose his character. Well, it would only take a few minutes to figure out which character gets the bag.

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Jennifer Trevorrow