Cillian Murphy wasn't a fan of one of his earliest big-screen roles.
Murphy admits that he hasn't seen many of his own films, telling GQ that he had a low opinion of 2005's "Red Eye." "I don't think it's a good movie," he said. "This is a good B-movie."
Directed by horror master Wes Craven and co-starring Rachel McAdams, this psychological thriller follows a hotel manager (McAdams) who becomes embroiled in a terrorist plot during a red-eye flight to Miami.
While Murphy wasn't happy with the final product, he did express his "love" for McAdams, adding that the two "had a blast making it."
McAdams shared fond memories of her co-star filming "Red Eye." "We would listen to music and do crossword puzzles," she recalled in GQ 's February 2024 cover story for Murphy. "They say the best people sometimes make the best villains," she added, referring to the actor's character in the film, assassin Jackson Ripner, who transforms from a seemingly good guy to a very bad guy .
Murphy explained that the "duality" of playing "good guys and bad guys" is what attracted him to "Red Eye." "That's why I wanted to play it," he continued. “The only reason it appealed to me was you could do that — that turn, you know?”
This isn't the first time Murphy has expressed his opinion on "Red Eye." In 2021, he described the film as "vulgar" in an interview with Uproxx.
"I remember when I saw it, I was like 'Oh, that's a crappy B-movie.' Rachel McAdams was brilliant in this," he said at the time. "I think My performance in it was not very nuanced. But, listen, it would be great if people liked the movie. "
Despite Murphy's criticism, the film achieved positive reviews and commercial success upon its release in 2005, grossing nearly $100 million at the global box office against a budget of $26 million.
