Before becoming an actor, Dublin born Colin Farrell toyed with the idea of following in his father's footsteps and having a career as a footballer. This didn't work out however, when he found he lacked the discipline required to be a successful player. He dipped his toe into the showbiz river when he auditioned for Irish boyband, Boyzone in the early '90s. He was not lucky in winning a place in the band, but given the success of his acting career, he probably has no regrets.
Early Career
Colin Farrell first came to the public's attention with his role as Danny Byrne in the BBC family drama, Ballykissangel, in which he starred in 18 episodes from 1998 - 1999. He also flexed his acting muscles by appearing in theatre productions. It was while starring in the play In A Little World Of Their Own at the Donmar Warehouse in Covent Garden, London that Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey was in the audience and spotted Farrell. He was impressed with Farrell's acting abilities and aided in his Hollywood breakthrough by introducing him to a Hollywood agent, as well as casting Farrell in the upcoming film he was shooting in Ireland, Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000).
Good at making strong impressions on influential people in the movie industry, Farrell was then cast by American director Joel Schumacher in the film, Tigerland (2000) for which he got rave reviews for his performance. He followed this up with American Outlaws in 2001.
A Blockbuster Two Years
A mere two years after his big screen debut, Farrell's career took off. In 2002/3 he made an impressive seven films and starred alongside some of the biggest and most respected actors in the industry:
- Hart's War (2002) - with Bruce Willis
- Minority Report (2002) - with Tom Cruise
- Phone Booth (2002) - with Kiefer Sutherland
- The Recruit (2003) - with Al Pacino
- Daredevil (2003) - with Ben Affleck
- Veronica Guerin (2003) - with Cate Blanchett
- S.W.A.T (2003) - with Samuel L. Jackson
- Intermission (2003) - with Cillian Murphy
Adding Indie Flicks To The Mix
Perhaps not wanting to be typecast as just a big-budget actor, over the next few years Colin Farrell took a wider variety of roles, which saw him act in both big and small productions. The smaller, character driven films are:
- A Home At The End Of The World (2004)
- Ask The Dust (2006)
- Cassandra's Dream (2007)
- In Bruges (2008)
And not forgetting his blockbuster roots, he made some more big-budget spectaculars:
- Alexander (2004)
- The New World (2005)
- Miami Vice (2006)
- Pride and Glory (2008)
Although his career is continually on an upwards trajectory, not every film can be a great success. Despite working with brilliant directors, Woody Allen in Cassandra's Dream and Oliver Stone in Alexander, both films received very poor reviews. However, in 2009 Farrell's acting talent was recognised when he was awarded the Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Golden Globe for In Bruges.
Upcoming Films
Following the tragic death of his friend Heath Ledger in 2008, Farrell was one of three actors, along with Johnny Depp and Jude Law who took over the role of Tony in The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus (2009). Also set to be released in 2009 are Ondine and Triage. Ondine sees him play the role of a fisherman who believes he catches a mermaid in his net.
To play the role of war photographer Mark Walsh in Triage, Farrell controversially lost a lot of weight, giving him a skeletal appearance but he insisted that he "lost weight because my role demanded it."
Script Worthy Private Life
From his initial arrival in Hollywood, Colin Farrell took a hard-partying approach to the celebrity lifestyle. His attitude was seen as a refreshing blast of rebellion, reminiscent of hell-raising old-school Hollywood actors, such as Oliver Reed and Richard Burton. They were not concerned about being part of a slick clean-living PR machine and neither was Farrell.
However, in 2005 his hardcore lifestyle caught up with him and he checked into rehab. He now lives a far more family friendly life, with smoking being his only vice. His son James was born to American model Kim Bordenave in 2003 and he is to be a father again in April 2010, after he announced his girlfriend, Polish actress, actress Alicja Bachleda-Curus is pregnant. The couple met while filming Ondine (2009), where Bachleda-Curus plays the mermaid that Farrell's character catches in his net.
Sources:
- imdb.com - Colin Farrell
- Entertainment Weekly interview - Colin Farrell
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