With three starring film roles in 2005, Cillian Murphy’s movie career is accelerating. Looking for the scoop on this Batman Begins bad guy? Cast as Scarecrow, Cillian (pronounced Kill-ian) Murphy actually auditioned for the role of Batman. When Christian Bale eventually won the role of the Gotham City hero, the film’s director Christopher Nolan couldn’t let Murphy go without a role, casting him as Jonathan Crane, according to www.imdb.com.
Though Murphy is somewhat new to the spotlight, he’s not a novice to film. If Murphy, the Ireland-born Londoner, bears striking resemblance to Jackson Rippner of Red Eye (2005) or Pieter of The Girl with the Pearl Earring (2003), it’s because these are two of more than 20 films that include him in the cast.
Murphy, 29, was born in Douglas, Ireland, to a school inspector father and a French teacher mother. Murphy looked to a career in law upon entering Presentation Brothers College Cork, but discovered acting there. He began taking part in productions at a local theater and before long started skipping class to tour with the productions. In 1998, Murphy appeared in The Tale of Sweety Barrett, kicking off his film career. But the role that led to his widespread fame was in the 2002 horror flick 28 Days Later.
Despite pursuing a film career, Murphy also remains active in live theater. He played Christy, the lead in the play Playboy of the Western World at the Gaiety Theater in Dublin, Ireland, in 2004. He also plays in a band named Sons of Mr. Greengenes.
In addition to Batman Begins and Red Eye, Murphy stars in Pluto Begins this year, a drama directed by Ireland’s Neil Jordan, according to www.worldfilm.com.
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