Cillian Murphy’s Most Misunderstood Role: How Breakfast on Pluto Looks Different Today

From Villains to Visionaries

Cillian Murphy has long been celebrated for his uncanny ability to disappear into wildly different characters. The Irish actor, born in Douglas, Co Cork, first caught international attention in 28 Days Later (2002) and cemented his star status through his chilling turn as Scarecrow in Batman Begins (2005) and his stoic, razor-sharp Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders. More recently, his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer (2023) drew widespread critical acclaim.

But amid his gallery of memorable performances, one 2005 role stands out—not for its accolades, but for the way it has aged: Patrick “Kitten” Braden in Neil Jordan’s Breakfast on Pluto.

A Role Ahead of Its Time—and Now Seen Differently

In Breakfast on Pluto, Murphy plays Kitten, a transgender woman navigating life after growing up in foster care, abandoned at birth. Her journey to find her mother takes her through a kaleidoscope of encounters—from show business gigs to brushes with political unrest—while holding fast to her own sense of self.

At the time of its release, Murphy’s performance earned both praise and skepticism. The New York Times hailed his ability to infuse Kitten with complexity, even garnering him a Golden Globe nomination. Yet The Village Voice dismissed the portrayal as “unconvincing” and overly “cute.”

In 2005, the casting of a cisgender actor in a transgender role was not widely challenged in the mainstream. Today, however, cultural expectations have shifted sharply. There is now a strong call for authentic casting—ensuring trans characters are portrayed by trans actors. This evolution in representation has reframed the conversation about Murphy’s Kitten, leading some to see the role as misaligned with present-day values, despite the actor’s evident commitment to the part.

Why This Role Is Different from His Other “Misunderstood” Turns

Murphy has had other roles that flew under the radar or were reappraised over time. In Dunkirk (2017), his unnamed “Shivering Soldier” conveyed quiet, devastating trauma in only a handful of scenes. In Red Eye (2005), his coldly charismatic villain, Jackson Rippner, earned praise but never the same cultural discussion.

The distinction lies in Breakfast on Pluto’s representational weight. The misunderstanding here is not about screen time or lack of recognition—it’s about how societal values on gender identity have changed, and how that alters the lens through which the performance is viewed.

A Performance Frozen Between Two Eras

When Breakfast on Pluto premiered, it occupied a complicated cultural space—progressive in its choice to center a transgender protagonist, but rooted in casting norms that many now consider outdated. Critics were split then, and in the nearly two decades since, the gap between 2005’s cinematic culture and today’s has only widened.

What remains undisputed is Murphy’s fearlessness in taking on a role that demanded emotional openness and vulnerability. For many fans, Kitten is still a tender, defiant character who deserved a place in the spotlight. For others, the performance now represents a moment when Hollywood missed an opportunity to advance authentic representation.

The Legacy of Kitten Braden

Cillian Murphy’s portrayal of Kitten Braden remains one of the most fascinating and complicated entries in his career. It is a role both lauded and questioned, celebrated for its heart yet reexamined through a more socially aware lens.

In the end, Breakfast on Pluto may be less about whether Murphy “got it right” and more about how art, and our interpretation of it, evolves alongside culture. What was once seen as bold can, in hindsight, reveal the unfinished conversations a society still needs to have.