Editing Cillian Murphy (section)

===2005–2006: Villainous roles and critical success===
[[File:Cillianmurphy.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Murphy at the 2005 [[New York Film Festival]]]]
Murphy appeared as [[Scarecrow (DC Comics)|Dr. Jonathan Crane]] in [[Christopher Nolan]]'s ''[[Batman Begins]]'' (2005). Originally asked to audition for the role of [[Batman|Bruce Wayne/Batman]], Murphy never saw himself as having the right physique for the superhero, but leapt at the chance to connect with director Nolan.<ref name="Boston Globe 2006" /> Though the lead went to [[Christian Bale]], Nolan was so impressed with Murphy that he gave him the supporting role of Dr. Crane, whose alter ego is [[supervillain]] [[Scarecrow (DC Comics)|Scarecrow]].<ref name="Back Stage 2005" /> Nolan told ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' magazine, "He has the most extraordinary eyes, and I kept trying to invent excuses for him to take his glasses off in close-ups".<ref name="Spin 2005">{{cite journal| last = Itzkoff | first = Dave | title = Cillian's Irish Dread | journal = Spin | date = June 2005}}</ref> He starred as Jackson Rippner, who terrorises [[Rachel McAdams]] on an overnight flight in [[Wes Craven]]'s thriller, ''[[Red Eye (American film)|Red Eye]]'' (2005). ''[[The New York Times]]'' film critic [[Manohla Dargis]] asserted that Murphy made "a picture-perfect villain" and that his "baby blues look cold enough to freeze water and his wolfish leer suggests its own terrors".<ref name="Dargis">Dargis, Manohla. {{cite news|url=http://movies2.nytimes.com/2005/08/19/movies/19crav.html|title=Sticking Out a Tense Flight With a Terrorist as Seatmate|work=The New York Times|date=19 August 2005|access-date=18 July 2007|archive-date=21 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121204054/http://movies2.nytimes.com/2005/08/19/movies/19crav.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The film was favourably reviewed and earned almost $100&nbsp;million worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |title=Red Eye (2005) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1149496-1149496-red_eye |access-date=11 March 2014 |archive-date=26 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426052442/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1149496-1149496-red_eye/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Red Eye (2005) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=redeye.htm |access-date=11 March 2014 |archive-date=7 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307163258/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=redeye.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Murphy received several awards nominations for his 2005 villainous roles, among them a nomination as Best Villain at the [[MTV Movie Awards 2006|2006 MTV Movie Awards]] for ''Batman Begins''.<ref name="MTV 2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/archive/year.jhtml?year=2006|title=2006 MTV Movie Awards|publisher=MTV|access-date=28 July 2007|archive-date=7 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107045111/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/2007/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' ranked him among its 2005 "Summer [[Most valuable player|MVPs]]", a cover story list of 10 entertainers with outstanding breakthrough performances.<ref name="EW Summer 2005">{{cite magazine|last=Jensen |first=Jeff |url=https://ew.com/article/2005/08/22/summers-movie-star-mvps-cillian-murphy/ |title=Summer's MVPs |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=26 August 2005 |access-date=19 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009043456/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C1094413_4%2C00.html |archive-date= 9 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''[[The New Yorker]]''<nowiki/>'s [[David Denby (film critic)|David Denby]] wrote: "Cillian Murphy, who has angelic looks that can turn sinister, is one of the most elegantly seductive monsters in recent movies."<ref name="Denby on Red Eye">{{cite magazine | last = Denby | first = David |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/09/12/partners-7?currentPage=1 | title = Partners | magazine = [[The New Yorker]] | date = 12 September 2005 | access-date = 9 September 2007 | archive-date = 18 June 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618154902/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/09/12/partners-7?currentPage=1 | url-status = live }}</ref>

Murphy starred as Patrick/"Kitten" Braden, a [[transgender]] Irish woman in search of her mother, in [[Neil Jordan]]'s comedy-drama ''[[Breakfast on Pluto (film)|Breakfast on Pluto]]'' (2005), based on the novel of the same title by [[Patrick McCabe (novelist)|Patrick McCabe]]. Seen against the film's kaleidoscopic backdrop of 1970s [[glitter rock]] fashion, magic shows, [[red-light district]]s and [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] violence, Murphy transforms from [[androgynous]] teen to a blonde [[drag (clothing)|drag]] queen. He had auditioned for the role in 2001 and, though Jordan liked him for the part, the director of ''[[The Crying Game]]'' was hesitant to revisit transgender and IRA issues. The actor lobbied Jordan for several years in a bid to get the film made before Murphy became too old to play the part; in 2004, he prepared for the role by meeting a [[transvestite]] who dressed him and took him clubbing with other transvestites.<ref name="TONY 2005" /> The role required "serious primping" with eyebrow plucking and chest and leg hair removal,<ref name="Publishing2005">{{cite journal|title=Red Eye to eye shadow|first=Michael|last=Giltz|journal = The Advocate {{!}} the National Gay & Lesbian Newsmagazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PGUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA73|date=22 November 2005|publisher=Here Publishing|page=73|issn=0001-8996|access-date=27 February 2016|archive-date=28 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628232606/http://books.google.com/books?id=PGUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA73|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Roger Ebert]] noted the way that Murphy played the character with a "bemused and hopeful voice".{{sfn|Ebert|2013|p=76}}<ref name="Stein">{{cite news | last = Stein | first = Ruthe |url=http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Walking-on-thin-gender-line-in-search-of-love-2586631.php | title = Walking on thin gender line in search of love | newspaper = San Francisco Chronicle | date = 23 December 2005 | access-date = 18 July 2007 | archive-date = 8 October 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008084959/http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Walking-on-thin-gender-line-in-search-of-love-2586631.php | url-status = live }}</ref> While lukewarm reviews of ''Breakfast on Pluto'' tended to praise Murphy's performance highly,<ref name="Metacritic BoP">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/breakfast-on-pluto|title=Breakfast on Pluto|website=Metacritic|access-date=20 October 2007|archive-date=29 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100829142030/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/breakfast-on-pluto|url-status=live}}</ref> a few critics dissented: ''[[The Village Voice]]'', which panned the film, found him "unconvincing" and overly cute.<ref name="Voice BoP">{{cite news|author=Atkinson, Michael|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/film/men-are-from-mars-bad-transvestite-movies-are-from-pluto-6399556|title=Men Are From Mars, Bad Transvestite Movies Are From ''Pluto''|work=The Village Voice|date=15 November 2005|access-date=21 August 2007|archive-date=18 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618161718/http://www.villagevoice.com/film/men-are-from-mars-bad-transvestite-movies-are-from-pluto-6399556|url-status=live}}</ref> Murphy was nominated for a [[Golden Globe Award]] for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for ''Breakfast on Pluto''<ref name="2006 Globes news">{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/13/goldenglobes.list/index.html|title=63rd Golden Globe Awards Nominations|publisher=CNN|date=13 December 2005|access-date=26 February 2014|archive-date=2 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102031846/http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/13/goldenglobes.list/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and won the fourth [[IFTA Award|Irish Film and Television Academy]] Best Actor Award.<ref name="4th IFTA">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ifta.ie/winners/iftawinners2007.html |title=The 4th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards Winners |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101107032122/http://www.ifta.ie/winners/iftawinners2007.html |archive-date=7 November 2010 |work=IFTA.ie |access-date=21 September 2007}}</ref> ''[[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]]'' magazine cited his performance as Kitten in their "The 24 Finest Performances of 2005" feature.<ref name="Premiere 2005 best" />

In 2006, Murphy starred in ''[[The Wind That Shakes the Barley (film)|The Wind That Shakes the Barley]]'', a film about the [[Irish War of Independence]] and the [[Irish Civil War]], which won the [[Palme d'Or]] at the [[2006 Cannes Film Festival]] and became the most successful Irish independent film at the Irish box office.<ref name="BBC d'Or">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5025812.stm|title=Loach film wins top Cannes prize|work=BBC News|date=29 May 2006|access-date=25 September 2007|archive-date=23 December 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061223070845/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5025812.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Murphy was especially keen on appearing in the film due to his intimate connections to [[Cork (city)|Cork, Ireland]], where the film was shot. Murphy auditioned six times for the role of Damien O'Donovan, a young doctor turned revolutionary, before winning the part. Murphy considered it a very special privilege to have been given the role and stated that he was "tremendously proud" of the film, remarking that the "memories run very, very deep&nbsp;– the politics, the divisions and everybody has stories of family members who were caught up in the struggle."<ref>{{cite news |author=Quigley, Maeve |url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-146366167 |title=Star Cillian Will Shake Film World. Murphy Tells of His Joy as Irish Movie Blows Critics Away |newspaper=The Mirror |date=30 May 2006 |access-date=3 March 2014 |archive-date=17 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017134914/https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-146366167/star-cillian-will-shake-film-world-murphy-tells-of |url-status=live }}{{subscription required}}</ref> David Denby noted Murphy's moments of deep stillness and idiosyncrasies in portraying the character.<ref name="Denby Barley">{{cite magazine|author=Denby, David|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/03/19/taking-sides|title=Taking Sides|magazine=The New Yorker|date=19 March 2007|access-date=18 July 2007|archive-date=28 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028182932/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/03/19/taking-sides|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Kenneth Turan]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that "Murphy is especially good at playing the zealotry as well as the soul-searching and the regret, at showing us a man who is eaten up alive because he's forced to act in ways that are contrary to his background and his training".<ref name="Turan on Barley">{{cite news |author=Turan, Kenneth|url=https://www.latimes.com/cl-et-wind16mar16-story.html |title=''The Wind That Shakes the Barley'' Goes Beyond Zealotry|work= Los Angeles Times|date= 16 March 2007|access-date= 7 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618171413/http://www.latimes.com/cl-et-wind16mar16-story.html|archive-date=18 June 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[GQ]]'' magazine presented Murphy with its 2006 Actor of the Year award for his work in ''The Wind That Shakes the Barley''.<ref name="BBC GQ 2006">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5319176.stm|title= McCartney is ''GQ'''s Man of the Year|work= BBC News|date= 6 September 2006|access-date= 8 September 2006|archive-date= 24 September 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060924155817/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5319176.stm|url-status= live}}</ref>