Cillian Murphy doesn't like Red Eye: 'I don't think it's a good movie'

Cillian Murphy's 2005 Red Eye flight with Rachel McAdams and director Wes Craven crashed and burned, as far as the Oscar-nominated star is concerned.

The Oppenheimer actor opened up about his past filmography in a new cover story for GQ, in which he told the outlet that he hasn't seen "many" of his own films. "Generally, the ones I haven't seen are the ones I hear are not good," he explained, though he has, apparently, seen Red Eye — and seemingly feels it's a low-tier title among his career.

“I love Rachel McAdams and we had fun making it,” Murphy said. "But I don’t think it’s a good movie. It’s a good B movie."

The 47-year-old also noted that there was a single element of the project that spoke to him enough to sign on opposite McAdams.

“I think it’s the duality of it. It’s why I wanted to play it. That two thing. The nice guy and the bad guy in one," he said of his character, an initially charming man sitting next to McAdams' character on a lengthy flight, whose sinister (and threatening) intentions are revealed as the plane takes to the skies. "The only reason it appealed to me is you could do that. That turn, you know?"

McAdams, who made the movie after breaking out as one of the stars of 2004's Mean Girls, also spoke to GQ for the story, and fondly recalled her time with Murphy.

"They say the nicest people sometimes make the best villains,” she said. "We’d listen to music and gab away while doing the crossword puzzle, which he brought every day and would graciously let me chime in on.… I think the number one question I got about Cillian way back then was whether or not he wore contact lenses."

Murphy has shared his feelings on the film in the past, telling Uproxx in 2021 that he thought the film was "schlocky" while also praising McAdams' performance.

"When I was a younger actor, I was really, really hard on everything that I was in. I hated watching myself. I hated looking at myself on screen. I remember when I saw it was like “Oh, that’s kind of a schlocky B movie. Rachel McAdams is excellent in it," he said at the time. "But I didn’t think I gave a very nuanced performance in it. But, listen, if people love the movie then that’s great. I’m pleased with that. I’m less hard on myself now when I look at stuff. I’m less hypercritical of my work. But that’s probably a hangover from that to be honest."

Despite his distaste for Red Eye, the movie earned positive reviews from critics upon its release, and was a commercial success, grossing nearly $100 million worldwide on a $26 million budget.

Murphy went on to make great strides in his career earlier this year, when he scored his first Oscar nomination for his work in Christopher Nolan's likely Best Picture winner Oppenheimer.

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