Cillian Murphy And Rodrigo Cortes Video Interview On 'Red Lights,' Paranormal Activity

Red Lights director Rodrigo Cortes, 39, has nothing but good things to say about his lead actor Cillian Murphy, 36. “He’s the only actor that can turn a romantic comedy to a horror film with the blink of an eye. And I needed these two natures — this innocent guy, usually at the beginning like a young deer. And this very disturbing guy that became so obsessed and almost dangerous at the end of the film,” Cortes told Uinterview exclusively. “So I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Born and raised in Cork County, Ireland, Murphy first broke onto the scene in 2003 with the U.S. release of 28 Days Later. From there he would receive roles in Girl With a Pearl Earring opposite Scarlett Johansson and Cold Mountain with Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger. In 2005, Murphy took villainous turns in both Red Eye opposite Rachel McAdams and Batman Begins as the Scarecrow. He would work with Batman director Christopher Nolan again in 2010’s Inception, and last year he co-starred with Justin Timberlake in the sci-fi thriller, In Time.

In Red Lights, Murphy plays Tom Buckley, a physicist serving as an assistant to a paranormal investigator played by Sigourney Weaver, 62. Murphy was excited about the movie and excited to work with Cortes. “I had seen Rodrigo’s movies before he made our film. You can tell pretty quickly that he was the real deal,” Murphy told Uinterview. “It’s very rare to have someone as talented in writing, directing and editing, and who has that understanding of the vernacular of cinema so intuitively.”

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Q: Have either of you ever had a paranormal experience? - Angelica Riches: A: MURPHY: I have not. I'm afraid I'm quite boringly rational. I would call myself a skeptic. I'm not a cynic, I'm open and curious — you know, you've got to be open to these things, but I've yet to experience anything that can't be explained. CORTES: I'm afraid I'm as boring as Cillian if not more. I would love to see something out of the ordinary, but not yet.
Q: What was the best part of working together in Red Lights and what was the worst one, if any? - Myriam De La Torre: A: MURPHY: I had seen Rodrigo’s movies before he made our film. You can tell pretty quickly that he was the real deal. It’s very rare to have someone as talented in writing, directing and editing, and who has that understanding of the vernacular of cinema so intuitively. And ‘Buried’ was just such an incredible achievement. As an actor, you want to work with people that have a clear, strong vision because then you trust them and then you’re able to be brave in your choices, hopefully. It was a joy in making it.
Q: What made you think of Cillian Murphy as the right actor to portray the character of Tom Buckley? - Myriam De La Torre: A: CORTES: Well, first of all he’s hugely talented. Great actor to play a complex role and he also has another quality; he’s the only actor that can turn a romantic comedy to a horror film with the blink of an eye. And I needed these two natures, this innocent guy, usually at the beginning like a young deer. And this very disturbing guy that became so obsessed, and almost dangerous at the end of the film. So, I couldn’t ask for anything better.
Q: For Cillian, I was wondering if you had done any preparation work for your role in “Red Lights” and if so, what did you do? - Shannon McCarthy: A: MURPHY: Yes. I did lots and lots of reading. I had to go on and learn a few rudimentary magic tricks and I spoke to a lot of people and Rodrigo gave me a lot of his material. It was fascinating, you have to always do your due diligence in that regard, but ultimately it just becomes about the character, just sort of try and make him as complex and human and contradictory and all these things, you know?
Q: For Rodrigo, How did you manage to break boundaries? And isn’t it too stressful to do all the steps of a movie production as you did? - valentina: A: CORTES: It’s hard to explain because I don’t even know how it happened to me. You don’t try to do that. You don’t try to get into any specific place; you just try to create certain kinds of stories. You try them to be challenging, you try them to challenge you too, and do them in the best possible way. If you think that they should be done in English, like in this case, because I can only find them to be believable in the states. For instance, you shoot them in English if it’s another kind of story. You shoot them in whatever you think they needed to be shot. So I don’t know how you do that. I guess there are only two things that you can do; you can do the things you believe in or you can do the things all the people want you to do. And in both cases, you have no guarantees of success. So at least, you should do what you want to do.
Q: Do you feel a sense of pride or are you critical when you see your own films? - Susan Marek: A: CORTES: I try not to feel too proud about things. Proud is probably not the word, but it is similar to what I have in mind. So, anything you don’t like in the movie is my fault.