Murphy benefits from Irish hometown in "Barley"
From Claire Sibonney

TORONTO—Up-and-coming Hollywood actor Cillian Murphy knows how he landed the lead role in the Irish independence drama "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" -- he was typecast.
If he wasn't Irish, he wouldn't have got the job.
Murphy has been building his name in Hollywood with roles in "Batman Begins" and "Breakfast on Pluto," but he could be on the verge of greater things with his role in "Barley," which made its North American debut last week at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The film, helmed by British director Ken Loach, won the Palm D'Or at the Cannes film festival in May, and has received strong reviews. Murphy got the part after a series of auditions, but the actor says his growing resume was likely more a hindrance than help.
"When Ken makes films in a specific area, he only wants to cast actors from that area, so I wouldn't have gotten the opportunity to work with him if I wasn't from Cork, (Ireland)" Murphy, 30, told Reuters in an interview.
"I don't think (Loach) ever heard of me."
The film tells the story of two brothers who face difficult choices in Irish fight for independence in the 1920s. The story unfolds as Damien abandons his burgeoning career as a doctor to join his brother as a guerrilla fighter to face British forces.
As the film's central character, Damien, Murphy gets to display the brooding intensity that he's used in recent performances as the villainous Scarecrow in "Batman Begins" and the passenger from hell in the thriller "Red Eye."
Taking place on his home turf, the film hit a personal note for the actor.
"It was only two generations ago that the story takes place so obviously there are a lot of memories," he says.