One of the most prolific actors in Hollywood, Colin Farrell has been quite open about his struggles with addiction over the years. His addictions, along with the reputation of being the Hollywood heartthrob caught up in various scandals, soon started affecting his professional life. And he decided to check into a rehabilitation center for his addictions soon after filming his 2006 movie Miami Vice.
However, things took a turn for good after his 2008 film, In Bruges. During his appearance on The Hollywood Reporter’s Actors Roundtable, The Batman actor shared that the crime drama was a turning point in his life and career.
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Colin Farrell Called In Bruges a Turning Point For Him
Starring Colin Farrell alongside Brendan Gleeson, Martin McDonagh’s 2008 crime drama In Bruges follows two hitmen who get stuck in Bruges, Belgium, after a failed mission. Things only get complicated after one of them is asked to kill the other.
The movie received positive reviews, and Farrell won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. During an appearance on The Hollywood Reporter’s Actors Roundtable, he reflected how In Bruges was pivotal in reshaping his career and his reputation in the industry.
“[In] Bruges, kind of, personally, creatively, and all that jazz – was a big turning point for me,” he said. He also shared his experience working with the filmmaker and his co-star, with whom he reunited in the Oscar-nominated film The Banshees of Inisherin.
“Martin is so wonderful at what he does,” he said of the filmmaker. Talking about his co-star, Brendan Gleeson, he said, “I adore [him], he’s a soulmate.” However, the Miami Vice actor also shared that before all that, he tried convincing the filmmaker not to cast him in the film.
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Colin Farrell Suggested Martin McDonagh Not Cast Him in the 2008 Film
While Colin Farrell described it as a “turning point” for himself, he also shared that he tried to convince Martin McDonagh not to cast him in “In Bruges.” During his conversation on Actors Roundtable, he shared that he “actually tried to talk Martin out of trying to hire [him] for In Bruge.” He shared,
“I sat at the Hudson Hotel with him in New York, and I said, ‘you really shouldn’t hire me; you should hire someone else. And he said, ‘oh, that’s interesting – why?’ And I said, ’cause I come with a certain amount of baggage.”
The actor told him that the movie’s script was really good and that his reputation could potentially harm it, as “there’s a certain narrative” about him. However, McDonagh was determined to cast him as Ray and told him, “That’s great, noted. I want you.” Farrell accepted the offer. The role of Ray in the 2008 crime drama allowed him to showcase his acting skills in a way he hadn’t before.
In Bruges is available on Prime Video.
