You may have heard of the absolute best actor in the world right now: Colin Farrell (not a fact, but a strong opinion). Farrell’s recent success in the past few years made me curious about how he got into show business in the first place. This led me down a rabbit trail of research into his beginnings and personal life. I was just looking to know more about the guy. It’s common courtesy: you like someone, you get to know them. So, I did. Colin Farrell’s life is one of ups and downs, trials and tribulations, and finding success driven by something bigger than himself. I would like for you to get to know him too. If you’re shy, that’s okay. You aren’t actually meeting him, remember? You’re reading an article. Okay, here we go.

Farrell was born to Rita and Eamon Farrell in Dublin, Ireland on May 31st, 1976. Farrell’s father and uncle were professional soccer (fútbol, football, or whatever else you want to call it) players in Ireland for the Shamrock Rovers F.C. While many expected to follow in his family’s footsteps to go into the athletic field, Farrell had his eyes elsewhere. Elsewhere meaning Henry Thomas’ performance in Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Farrell cites his performance in the film that made him fall in love with the cinema and the world of films. He even stated that the performance brought tears to his eyes (hey, me too). Although his love for movies was awakened in his early life, he had another dream in his sights when he tried out for the Irish boy band Boyzone. However, it turns out that being a professional singer and dancer was not in the cards for Farrell. Can you guess what he did next? What does anyone do when their dreams of being in a boy band are crushed? You guessed it, drugs! 

Although Farrell began abusing substances in his teens, his dream of being an actor had not been quelled. His brother eventually pushed him to join the Gaiety School of Acting. He must have learned a lot there because he couldn’t even finish (he dropped out) before getting hired for his first job on BBC’s drama series, Ballykissangel (1996-2001), in 1998. This did a lot for his career, but he still struggled to succeed as he struggled with drug usage and many romantic flings. In the end, some of these may not have been all that romantic. Some of those experiences include Elizabeth Taylor and Britney Spears. With Taylor, there was a bit of an age difference (40 years). Farrell stated that he wanted to be the eighth one (husband, that is) at one point. With Spears, he reportedly sent her gag gifts after their breakup. One was a shirt that said, “I slept with Colin Farrell, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.” (Where do I get one of those?)

It is evident that Farrell let fame get the best of him in his early acting career. Eventually, he landed leading roles in feature films, such as Steven Spielberg’s The Minority Report (2002) and Oliver Stone’s Alexander (2004). However, he still struggled with substance abuse until he was at a screening for his next film, Michael Mann’s Miami Vice (2006). He stated that he was at the premiere and had no idea what would happen next in the movie, and he was the film’s co-lead. That was one of the two things that made him head straight to rehab and skip the after-party that night. The other was for his son, James. 

In 2003, Farrell had his first son, James Farrell, with his now ex-girlfriend, Kim Bordenave. James was born with a rare genetic condition called Angelman’s Syndrome. It causes developmental disabilities such as speech and mobility. The couple broke up soon after he was born but have continued parenting James together. Farrell mentioned how parenting a child with a genetic disability inspired him. He explained how everything James has achieved has been through the kind of will that is hard work and how it inspired him to turn his life around. After 15 years of using, Farrell left rehab sober and is still sober. He found his first individual success shortly after, working on Martin McDonagh’s film, In Bruges (2008), in which he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Soon afterward, he had his second child, Henry Farrell, with his now ex-girlfriend, Alicja Bachleda-Curús. 

When Farell left rehab, he had trouble living in sobriety. However, he left with the motivation to do better. To do better for himself, others, and most importantly, his children, James and Henry. He found massive success in the 2010s working on huge blockbusters such as Total Recall (2012) and Saving Mr. Banks (2013). He also went on to work with big-name directors such as Martin McDonagh (again), Yorgos Lanthimos, Steve McQueen, and Tim Burton. 

Despite his long filmography, his most successful year was 2022. He appeared in four films: After Yang (2021), The Batman (2022), Thirteen Lives (2022), and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022). 2022 should be labeled as the year of Colin Farrell. He delivered his best performances full of emotion, passion, and total immersiveness. He received critical acclaim for each of the four movies, especially for Banshees (my favorite film of 2022), where he landed an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. 

In the year of “comebacks” and Hollywood veterans finally getting rewarded, Farrell seems to be a part of the trend, and his projects are improving. Despite being a hot name in Hollywood, he says, “Fatherhood for me is the ultimate success.” Taking a deep dive into such an amazing actor led to some beautiful revelations about “The Penguin.” He got knocked down (and most times, it was himself knocking him down), but he got back up and fought his way to newfound success. Excitingly, Farrell’s momentum is still going strong. His new show, The Penguin, is set to release in early 2024. One must wonder if staying in the superhero genre will stop or propel his current momentum. I’m ready to find out.

Review Courtesy of Wade Davis