Arts Interview: Southern comfort

Cillian Murphy has appeared in plenty of big-budget blockbusters, but for the laid-back Cork actor, it is - and always will be - about the script, writes John Maguire.

Cillian Murphy: 'I'm interested in stories that put people under pressure. I'm drawn to dramas where there is a lot at stake. Picture: Susan Watts/Newscom

"No, man, there's no career plan," says Cillian Murphy. "At least, not one that anyone has told me about."

We're talking about the Cork actor's see-saw trajectory in the last couple of years, which has seen him skip from billion-dollar blockbusters to acclaimed stage productions, television series and small-scale independent films.

Working backwards, last year Murphy reprised his role as arch-villain The Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan's trilogy-ending The Dark Knight Rises. Before that, ...