How a tiny creature in need of constant attention changed the life of a man with severe addictions
Colin Farrell with James. Photo: facebook.com
Perhaps the story of Colin Farrell, the famous Irish actor, and his son James will seem inappropriate to our tired, weakened parents of children with a serious diagnosis. Well, really, where is Farrell with his capabilities and where are we in Russia?
Let us remind you that in our country, parents of disabled children only recently increased their care allowance: instead of the inhumanly meager 1,200 rubles/month, they are now entitled to 10 thousand rubles. But when they retire in old age, when they need support most of all with a physically grown but remaining helpless child (“forever a baby”), they are deprived of it.
But this is not a story about money and fame. This is a story about the relationship of a father to his son, about bitter disappointment when you realize that your child is seriously ill and this cannot be changed. And also about the fact that it is possible to find happiness where, it would seem, there is no point in looking.
Happy doll syndrome
Colleen Farrell with his youngest son Henry. Photo: todaysparent.com
In 2003, Colin Farrell's son James was born. Almost immediately after birth, it became clear that he was sick. At first, doctors talked about cerebral palsy and autism, but in the end, research determined that the child suffers from Angelman syndrome. This means profound mental retardation, difficulty speaking and moving, seizures and many other health complications.
At the same time, children look happy, often laugh and smile. These are also symptoms of a disease that is also called “happy doll syndrome.” At first, Farrell decided not to publicly disclose the diagnosis, but it haunted him; he felt guilty towards the child, as if he was hiding something shameful. But this was not so!
In 2007, Colin Farrell came to Shanghai as a representative of the Paralympics, in which adults and children with intellectual disabilities take part. It was in Shanghai that Colin decided to publicly talk about his son, his joy and pride in him.
“The fight for a child with special needs can sometimes be so brutal that it can tear your heart to shreds,” Farrell says. “But love is like a needle and thread, you darn the wounds with it, and the tears dry up.”
I fight with women on screen more often than I kiss - Colin FARRELL
He is considered one of the most talented men in world cinema; he is also included in the list of the 50 most beautiful people on the planet. Irish actor Colin Farrell flew to Moscow to present his new film “Total Recall”. Colin told an Echo correspondent about what kind of women Farrell likes and what he knows about Russia.
— Your version of the film “Total Recall” is, as you know, a remake of the film of the same name, which was filmed 22 years ago with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the title role. Do you think The Terminator liked your work? And by the way, how do you like the old version of the film?
— I watched a film with the participation of “Iron Arnie” when I was still a teenager. Moreover, for the first time I could not get into the cinema due to age restrictions. There are many scenes of violence and fights in the film, and I was not yet eighteen then. But in the end I watched it and was wildly delighted. When I was offered this role, I was incredibly surprised that someone decided to remake such a gorgeous and memorable action film. Of course, I could not refuse such an offer.
Unfortunately, I don’t know whether Schwarzenegger saw our film. But it’s an interesting question, I’ll have to ask him.
— You are recognized as one of the most handsome men on the planet. Did it make your relationships with women easier or more difficult?
- I never thought about it. But, to be honest, it has never been difficult for me. It seems to me that when people like each other, then everything should happen naturally. Family and love are the most important things in life for me.
— At a press conference, you admitted that in the films you starred in, you had to beat at least seven women. Are you really such a rude person in real life?
- Well, what are you talking about! Raising your hand to a woman is the last thing. This doesn't happen to me. But it happens in the movies: I fight with women more often than I kiss.
— It’s still surprising that stories about your adventures that end in scandals constantly appear in the press...
— I was a difficult teenager. From the age of 15 he drank and tried drugs. At sixteen he left school and then decided to take up the stage. I tried to act in one play, it seemed to work. In any case, they noticed me. I had to stop drinking and started working...
Yes, you are right, provocative articles often appear in the press. Although I myself often give journalists reasons for scandals. I support, so to speak, the image of a bad guy. Sometimes it's just a way to draw attention to another picture. But I'm not a rowdy, not a drunkard. I’m an ordinary person - I work, I relax, and sometimes I have a really cool vacation.
— They say that you are also involved in charity work...
— I provide financial support to a medical foundation that helps scientists studying Angelman syndrome. This is a fairly rare disease that is often confused with cerebral palsy. Alas, my eldest son suffers from it. I love him madly and really want to help everyone who is forced to fight this disease. So I do everything I can. But I wouldn’t like to continue talking about this topic.
— What do you value most in life? What do you need for complete happiness?
- Believe me, I have no desire to buy 100 cars, 50 houses or 10 personal planes. I just like life in all its manifestations. I love nature: cool wind, hot weather, the sound of rain hitting the glass. I don’t deny the necessity and importance of money, I make good money, and I’m glad that thanks to this I can help people, because I really want to do it.
— Have you often had to make any sacrifices to get a role in a movie?
- Well, if only to fight your own laziness. You don’t always want to spend five or six hours in the gym. Although I understand that an actor needs to keep his body in good physical shape. I work a lot. And I don’t remember anything else.
— There are rumors that you allegedly read Pushkin in order to better play a Gulag prisoner. Maybe you remember some lines from the works of the great Russian poet?
- From Pushkin? No Unfortunately. Russian is a very difficult language for me. I remember some individual phrases. But I haven’t had to learn Pushkin’s poems yet.
Victoria Politova
A child doesn't need a friend, he needs his dad nearby
Colin Farrell with James. Photo: facebook.com
When Colin first heard the word “cure,” he was offended, almost angry, as if the doctors were judging his son that he was not what he should be, “but he is exactly what he should be,” the actor insists. "He's a magical, magical boy."
Seeing him for the first time, the actor burst into tears. Then it seemed to him that it was from “an excess of feelings.” In fact, now, many years later, Farrell understands that he cried out of fear - he was afraid of not being able to cope, he did not feel the strength to take care of another, helpless little person. He couldn’t figure it out with himself, and here was a tiny creature, a son... Farrell realized that he was taken by surprise.
There is an opinion that “fatherhood changes men,” but Farrell did not want to change his life. Moreover, he wanted to be a cheerful, carefree friend to his child, but not a father. “I remember saying, ‘Why would I change my life! I'll be his friend! Like a fucking 28 year old drunk drug addict friend was exactly what my 6 week old son needed.”
Time passed before the young man realized that the child did not need a cheerful friend - he needed, first of all, a dad who would always be there and be able to take care of him. This was a turning point. Colin decided to stop drinking.
Stronger than whiskey: Why Colin Farrell was nicknamed “the man of a thousand second chances”
On May 31, the Hollywood Irishman turns 44 years old.
We sometimes hear: the star was given the opportunity to return, and she did not miss it. Colin Farrell holds the record for comebacks. His career was put on hold so many times that he was nicknamed “the man of a thousand second chances.” But he, like a phoenix from the ashes, is reborn every time in a new image. And now I’ve changed the tracksuit of the Irish chap from “The Gentlemen” to the Penguin’s tailcoat in the new “Batman” and my father’s expensive jacket in “Artemius Fowl”.
Still from the movie "The Gentlemen"
They say he's damn charming. If you come to an interview with a girl, he can easily seduce her in front of your eyes, and you will watch and admire how masterfully he does it, and even buy him a glass of beer to boot. Although no, Colin Farrell will definitely refuse it, because for the last few years he has not touched alcohol.
“There’s nothing much to be proud of here,” the Irishman says modestly. “Being sober doesn’t make me a better father, a better friend, or maybe even a better actor.” And despite the fact that I have stopped being a binge alcoholic, I continue to miss the taste of beer and scotch. Every day is a struggle."
Still from the film "Widows"
Colin is not inclined to live up to your expectations at all. Did it seem to you that he didn’t miss a single skirt (after all, his list of victories at various times included Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, Rihanna and almost Elizabeth Taylor)? Look who Farrell plays in the feminist The Fatal Temptation (2017) - the victim of angry girls in crinolines. Did you think he was a brutal guy, an action star? And Colin relied on fantasy and children's fairy tales - “Fantastic Beasts” (2016), “Dumbo” (2019) and the upcoming premiere “Artemis Fowl” (2020).
Agree, there is something paradoxical in the fact that an actor known for his masculine attractiveness plays a notorious freak whom even his parents abandoned - we are now talking about the Penguin in the new “Batman” by Matt Reeves. But it was not always so.
With Britney Spears and Angelina Jolie
At the beginning of his career, Farrell did exactly what was expected of him. The brutal handsome man took on everything that was offered to him and passionately dreamed of becoming a star. He almost succeeded. He played for Steven Spielberg (“Minority Report”), in a film adaptation of a comic book (“Daredevil”) and even in a remake of the cult 1980s series (“Miami Vice: Vice”). The main thing for him then was that the studio was writing checks with a lot of zeros and there was a new reason to throw a grand party.
“After a day of shooting, I liked to pick up about twenty strangers who agreed to go to my room and drink there until the morning. I have no idea who these people were, but every morning I was paying huge bills. This created the illusion of living life to the fullest. But I always woke up alone - everyone left, and I was left alone with myself, and I was terribly ashamed,” admits the actor.
With Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Sooner or later it was going to end in rehab or complete career failure. Farrell chose the clinic.
“Alcohol and parties are a thing of the distant past. Now I think it's cool to walk in parks, do yoga and eat healthy. Although it probably sounds a bit boring. Nothing has changed in my life over the past fifteen years - the only difference is that I’m sober now.”
We don't think so. Farrell began to have a different attitude towards the profession, towards his roles, towards who and how he plays. And now in almost every film he slightly expands the boundaries of his capabilities, growing as an actor, and not as a star.
I also changed my attitude towards children. Pharrell became a father, twice. “My boys,” he says so tenderly about them in every interview. Now these boys are 10 and 16 years old, they are from different women, Colin was unable to maintain a relationship with any of them, but this changes absolutely nothing. He is a wonderful father and not only supports James and Henry financially, but also spends all his free time with them. “My immediate plans include hiking with the boys and hitchhiking around the world,” he shared quite recently. The hitchhiking tour will have to be forgotten in light of recent events, but we are sure that Colin will come up with something else.
With son Henry
He carries a load of guilt, he always thinks that he is not a good enough father: the eldest James has Angelman syndrome - a developmental delay. Farrell says he will never forgive himself for not being there when James was born, and for the years after he was more interested in drinking and girls than in his own son. And to remind myself of this once again, I played the eternally absent father in Artemis Fowl.
“When I first held the baby in my arms, something burst inside me and warmth spread throughout my body. Perhaps this is love. It is a strange, pure, beautiful love and certainly very deep.”
Still from the film “Artemis Fowl”
There is little left of the former egocentric Farrell was 20 years ago - now he takes everything seriously except himself. And he doesn’t care at all about his own image: the artificial bald spot and rotten teeth in “Horrible Bosses” (2011) were just a kind of rehearsal for the image of the Irish coach in “The Gentlemen” (2019).
“We always blame others for our traumas, never ourselves,” says director Yorgos Lanthimos, who directed the actor in The Lobster (2015) and The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017). Farrell, too, is rather an exception to the rule - he not only accepted his demons, but also managed to tame them.
His immediate plans include Banshee of Inishira, a new film from Martin McDonagh in which he will once again team up with Brendan Gleeson. They were a great team in Lay Down in Bruges (2007) and nothing will stop them from being a good team. And this means again digging into oneself and one’s nature, returning to purgatory in order to finally decide on the final route. As for us, we have already decided everything and forgive Farrell all his sins.
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“The fact that I survived and didn’t kill anyone is a miracle.”
Colin Farrell and Edward Norton. Still from the film “Pride and Glory”
Only his family and those closest to him truly understood how he lived for the last 15 years. From the outside it seemed that everything was fine - career, money, fame, but the fact that the media kept catching him with a bottle or something even worse... You know how it happens - at first the whole world is at your feet, forgiving you everything in the world, then people start twirling their fingers at their temples - they say, guy, it’s time to stop, well, and then - it’s your own fault...
An Irish nugget, a rebel, as they called him. And he seemed to enjoy terrifying those around him. “Alcohol is part of the Colin Farrell brand,” the actor boasted. Today he admits: “The fact that I survived and didn’t kill anyone is a miracle, I could have ended up in prison, I could have died from an overdose.” Life can be very cruel. “Fear is a powerful force, and I think the key to keeping fear from becoming destructive is to acknowledge it and not let it dominate your life. I'll just do everything I can to protect my son. And for this I must have a clear head.”
He started drinking at the age of 14 and did not stop even when he moved from Dublin to Hollywood. More like “accelerated”. How he managed to work and become one of the best actors of his generation, Farrell does not know. He reached the top so quickly that he himself did not fully believe what was happening.
But after Oliver Stone's film Alexander failed at the box office, something went wrong. The actor was attacked by critics, but it was as if he was just waiting for this. Colin, spellbound, read all the negative articles about himself, all the malicious and offensive comments. When you doubt your own achievements, you begin to look for confirmation of this - your brain clings to the slightest humiliation, inflates any offense to exorbitant proportions, and now you are covered by a gigantic wave that is impossible to cope with. It’s paradoxical, Farrell will say later, but sometimes you can only feel truly alive when you’re in a lot of pain.
Colin Farrell: bad good guy
“I slept with Colin Farrell”: how many women can complain about this? Or brag? But it seems that Hollywood's famous bachelor's list of Don Juan is coming to an end, and he will finally find his happiness. He acts a lot, raises his sons, and in May he celebrated his fortieth birthday, trying on the image of a hooligan who has grown up.
Good girls know: if you love a bully boy, the main thing is to be patient. And then, perhaps, the long-awaited moment will come when the terrible monster will turn into a handsome prince and give you scarlet flowers and more. But here you need to be careful, because sometimes even after the transformation, Shrek remains in Shrek’s place. Fans are lucky with Colin Farrell. He has overcome several stages of serious hooliganism and is about to become a real good boy. Games with weed and alcohol are left behind (11 years of abstinence!), and perhaps his main destructive passion - women - will soon become a thing of the past.
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He, she and age
Farrell has gained a reputation as a Hollywood ladies' man, but his list of victories also includes high-profile platonic romances. Even as a child, when he and his sister Katerina were watching old films, Colin was sincerely interested in... Marilyn Monroe. And the 8-year-old lover left gifts for his lady under his pillow, and in the attached note he asked to return to him from heaven as soon as possible...
Colin also practiced his romantic passion for famous older actresses later. For example, in 2005, on the set of the film “Ask the Dust,” 29-year-old Farrell met lady Eileen Atkins. The award-winning actress was about 70. At the end of the shooting day, as Atkins admitted, he burst into her room and flirted so actively that she had to send the ardent Cherubino away for an hour. Later he went to her performances on Broadway, but that was all... They say Colin is partial to older women, because his first passion was much older. But let psychologists sort out the origins of his original passion, but the fact remains: in his biography there was another turn of falling in love with an “old woman.”
The Last Platonic Romance
Colin calls his friendship with Elizabeth Taylor the last truly romantic platonic passion in his life. At the same time, on Ellen DeGeneris’s talk show, he said that he would have dreamed of becoming the eighth husband of the great actress, but “their paths diverged” (Taylor left our world in 2011). The acquaintance took place when Colin was 34 and Elizabeth was 75 years old. He was visiting a pregnant friend while Taylor was undergoing bypass surgery at the same hospital. Farrell bumped into her agent in the corridors and timidly asked him to say “hello” to her, doubting that she knew who he was. But Taylor knew! From home, Farrell called the agent, asking if he could send her flowers to the hospital, to which he replied: “Funny, I’m currently looking for an orchid at Taylor’s request so I can send it to you from her.” Soon a personal meeting took place, and it was followed by a wonderful year and a half of friendly communication, which Farrell remembers with reverence.
Young and famous
But on the list of the eternally ardent lover there are younger girls, but no less famous. For example, when Farrell starred in Oliver Stone’s film “Alexander” in 2004, they say Angelina Jolie herself was obsessed with him. And although she played his mother, Colin did not arouse mutual feelings, so she switched to Brad Pitt. These are rumors, but Farrell openly showed up with Britney Spears at the premiere of his “The Recruit” (2003), and later that night the couple was seen hugging in a famous Los Angeles hotel. Farrell insisted: “We’re just friends.” But a year later, Spears received a text from Colin that read: “I slept with Colin Farrell and all I got was this stupid T-shirt.” Britney was offended, but did not make a fuss over a bad joke. But “Miss January” of Playboy magazine Nicole Narain, who met Colin in 2002 and left after six months of a whirlwind romance, published a recording of their intimate scenes, accusing him of cruelty. He sued, but she said that if he apologized, they could continue their relationship. Yes, few can resist Colin’s charm. Often, both he and his passions sincerely believe that a family can turn out.
Family matters
The actor's first official wife was actress Amelia Warner. They got married in Tahiti in 2001. “I was young and stupid,” Colin repeats a typical male phrase, commenting on that marriage. We broke up a month later.
According to some versions, Colin dated the American-Canadian model Kim Bordenave, the mother of his first son, for almost a year; according to others, he was a one-night stand. However, his mother and sister Claudine were present at the hospital when James gave birth in September 2003 while Farrell was filming Alexander. The son was born with Angelman syndrome, was developmentally delayed, and could not walk for a long time, but Colin turned out to be a caring father. Not only did he buy his child's mother a house in the Hollywood Hills and promise to provide for the rest of her life, he actually participates in James's upbringing and is proud of him. (By the way, wasn’t it this diagnosis and the subsequent struggle for the child’s development that influenced the actor so much that in 2005 he ended his addiction to alcohol and pills “for back pain”?)
Colin and his son Henry shop for Christmas 2020. Photo: Legion Media
He dated Muriann McDonnell, a medical student, for almost two years (from the end of 2006), and things seemed to be heading towards marriage: he even introduced her to his son. But then journalist and writer Emma Forrest appeared on the horizon. In 2008, during the promotional campaign for the film “Lie Down in Bruges,” he fell madly in love with Emma and six months later wrote passionate notes to her, offering to give birth to a child. But soon Colin, as usual, cooled down. Forrest wrote about their relationship in her book, The Voice in My Head. Forrest was replaced by Alicia Bachleda-Kurus, a Polish actress and model (they starred together in Ondine). In October 2009, she gave birth to Farrell's son Henry, but the affair again did not reach the altar. In 2014, they began to say that Colin was dating Rihanna, but these rumors are over...
Colin's New Girl (West Hollywood, California, February 2016). Photo: https://www.dailymail.co.uk
Spit, kiss?
“What type should his favorite girl be?” Ellen DeGeneris asked Colin something like this on her famous TV show. To this, as dailymail.co.uk writes, the “true detective version 2.0” replied: “I don’t have any specific type. It's just a person, you know? I think she should be kind - that is, sweet and sexy."
Colin and Ellen De Generis. Photo: Legion Media
And since January of this year, after almost 4 years of abstaining from noticeable novels, Colin finally came under the lenses of the paparazzi with a new - still mysterious - girl. Who she is and how it will end, we will probably find out soon. In the meantime, the story of his personal life is developing - Colin is full of creative plans (however, as always). And this year, in the fall, we will see him in a new film based on the worlds and books of J. Rowling - “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Maybe by then the name of the new lover will be known to everyone.
And now the shooting is on May 28, 2020. Colin remains faithful to his new beloved. Photo: Legion Media.
Touches to the portrait
✓ Born May 31, 1976 in Dublin. The family also has 1 son and 2 daughters. His dad and brother were footballers, and Colin planned to continue the tradition.
✓ Colin has a great relationship with his mother. She always supports him.
✓ At 17, he was kicked out of school for hitting a teacher; at 18, after six months of depression, he and his friends went to Australia. He worked there in many ways, but as an actor he performed for the first time in an open-air production in Sydney Park.
✓ The actor was lucky. He was noticed by Kevin Spacey at some London performance and introduced him to the producers. Beginner Farrell played with Willis and Cruise, starred with J. Schumacher, T. Roth, Spielberg... And last year he was lucky enough, along with Rachel McAdams and Vince Vaughn, to take part in the continuation of the famous anthology series “True Detective”.
Text: Natalia Gorbunova
Kind? So he's a weakling
Colin Farrell. Photo: todaysparent.com
The painful, devouring addiction to alcohol grew, he felt guilty, and memory loss began. After filming the film Miami Vice, Colin was horrified to discover that he remembered almost nothing - not a single day of filming - he drank so much. And when everyone went to the party in honor of the end of filming, Farrell boarded a plane and went to a rehab clinic.
“I had a son and that was the main reason. I wanted to be sober and remember that I was with him.” One day during therapy, the doctor asked him to write down everything he had been using lately and read it out loud. It was a terrible moment, Farrell burst into tears like a child. How wild! How much crap does he or anyone else have to stuff inside themselves just to try to feel human, to get through the day. “What doesn't kill us doesn't make us stronger,” Farrell says. “Sometimes, on the contrary, it only increases your despair and loneliness.”
Having understood himself, Farrell realized that he suffered from alcoholism and other addictions due to a false understanding of masculinity. Society values macho behavior, and vulnerability is considered something shameful, worthy of ridicule and contempt. Kind? That means he's a weakling. And what could be worse for a man than admitting his own weakness?
In the 80s, when Colin was growing up, boys were not allowed to openly show feelings - cry, suffer, emotionally admire - it was considered something shameful for a “real Irishman”. “When a man doesn’t know how to deal with his own fears, they destroy him from the inside,” says Farrell. “Emotions that are not recognized by you, not openly recognized, lead to violence and all kinds of madness,” says the actor. He calls his time in rehab a “sobriety nightmare.”
But it was worth it. Farrell was not afraid to admit his weakness in front of the whole world, take responsibility, and say that he suffered from mental illness for many years and indulged it. When he left rehabilitation, his mother admitted that for the first time in fifteen years she was able to sleep peacefully.
Chocolate bars, sneakers and a fear of heights: 20 facts about Colin Farrell
Fact 1
Football was once an important part of Farrell's life. As a child, Colin ran wildly across the field, and many even thought that the guy would chase the ball until he retired. Expectations were not met, but Colin still remembers his semi-childish football battles with tenderness. Moreover, at some point he even seriously considered giving up his acting career in order to return to the field and start playing for his native country - Ireland.
Fact 2
Coleen Farrell has more than a specific reputation. He is considered a rowdy, a womanizer and a drinker, and he always gets away with any tricks. True, this was not always the case: during his foggy youth, he was kicked out of school for indecent behavior (they say he beat up a teacher who reprimanded him about sleeping in class). By the way, even then Colin went into all serious troubles, that is, he began pilgrimages to bars and endless love affairs.
Lay low in Bruges (In Bruges, 2007)
Fact 3
The bad guy image of our “Irish stallion” is not at all annoying. On the contrary, he learned to use it and from time to time he deliberately adds more wood to the fire: for example, he once said in an interview that he stole a sandwich from a store. And not at all because he didn’t have money - it was just that the line was long, and he didn’t want to stand.
Fact 4
Any fan of Colin knows that at the age of seventeen he was not accepted into the Boyzone boy band. The manager approached Farrell, who was dancing in the club, and offered to try his hand at it. Our hero agreed. At the audition, he sang some George Michael song, and he sang it so monstrously that the producers couldn’t believe their ears and asked the guy to repeat it - he repeated it. The diagnosis of the music businessmen was obvious: complete lack of hearing. So, of course, he was not accepted into the group.
Fact 5
Colin can hardly be called a gourmet. By and large, he doesn’t care what he chews, but when he has a choice, he chooses... fast food. He loves pizza, cheeseburgers, cola, candy bars and other unhealthy foods that are invented solely to make people gain weight easily. By the way, when “The Lobster” director Yorgos Lanthimos asked Farrell to gain 15 kilograms, the actor went on exactly this diet and enjoyed it for ten days. After which, however, he felt sick - he had already gained weight, and his diet had to be changed.
Fact 6
Our ruff Irishman is also not very picky about clothes. On screen he can often be seen in expensive suits, but in reality Colin has little interest in his appearance. He wears T-shirts and jeans, and if he cheats on them, it is only at the request of his mother, who from time to time tries to add variety to his wardrobe.
Fact 7
Many actors, at every convenient and inconvenient occasion, are ready to brag that they do all the stunts in films themselves, and Colin is no exception. However, in one of his interviews, he suddenly admitted that he still couldn’t do without understudies. The reason is simple - it turns out that the Irishman is terribly afraid of heights.
Fact 8
However, tricks are not so bad. According to Farrell himself, a fifteen-second episode from the movie “Total Recall” became a serious test for him. In it, the actor had to play a tiny excerpt from Beethoven's 17th symphony on the piano. “I was terribly nervous,” admits the actor. “I did a little music as a child, but that was a long time ago, and I realized that I could fake it.” Luckily, everything worked out fine.
Fact 9
After the resounding failure of Oliver Stone's Alexander, in which the actor played Alexander the Great, Farrell began to talk about how he felt much more comfortable in projects with small budgets. “Where the budget exceeds $150 million, there is no special state of creativity,” he says. – Therefore, acting in small European films, which may only be released on DVD, is sometimes much more interesting. And I’m scared to death of big studio pictures. I’m afraid, but from time to time I still take risks.”
"Alexander" (Alexander, 2004)
Fact 10
Colin is proud that he managed to give up cigarettes. He smoked tar from adolescence, and until the age of thirty-four, smoking was a kind of sacred rite for him. And then he wrote a letter addressed to Tabak, in which he described in detail how they met, how many years they were together, how he helped him. This was a symbolic break in the “relationship”, and after that Farrell no longer smoked.
Fact 11
But Colin couldn’t get rid of something else as easily, and in 2005 he was forced to go to a rehabilitation clinic to recover from his addiction to painkillers. However, this is what the official version looks like. In fact, the actor’s problems were of a slightly different nature, and Farrell even once spoke about them in an interview: “I went to a psychiatrist and complained of depression. Then he asked me to list everything I had taken over the past week. I listed: three bottles of whiskey, twelve bottles of red wine, twenty-four liters of beer, twenty ecstasy tablets, cocaine, hashish and so on”...
Fact 12
When Colin left the clinic, he had to move. And opposite the new house there was a Russian bathhouse, and one of the actor’s friends encouraged him to look there. The result exceeded all expectations: Farrell liked this establishment so much that he began spending four hours in it. “I don’t know a better way to cleanse the body,” he admires. - This is a special ritual. In general, I absolutely love rituals.”
Fact 13
Hart's war (2002)
Many journalists who interviewed the Irishman know that he is a terrible foul-mouthed person. There were cases when it was necessary to “beep” almost a third of the interview. We've heard a lot about the manners of Colin and his colleagues - for example, on the set of Hart's War, he ran into Bruce Willis because he couldn't learn the text.
Fact 14
Sex scandals occupy a special place in Colin’s biography. Twelve years ago, he filed a lawsuit against his ex-girlfriend, who posted a video of their erotic leisure time together online. A little later, actress Eileen Atkins, who was seventy at the time, said that the actor begged her to have “crazy sex” with him. And Farrell was once accused of sexual harassment by a phone sex worker.
Eileen Atkins in the movie Wild Target (2009)
Fact 15
Another rather piquant fact. Many years ago, Colin's brother gave him underpants with shamrock clovers, the symbol of Ireland. And since then, the actor puts them on on the first day of filming: he believes that they bring him good luck. “True, they are already quite old, to say the least,” Farrell admits. “But I won’t start any shooting without them.” This is my talisman."
Fact 16
Like any impulsive and headstrong street kid, in his youth Colin got himself several tattoos. For example, at nineteen he tattooed a cross and the phrase “Live every day like your last” on his left forearm. Now the actor regrets these mistakes of his youth and is even planning to mix them down - although he hasn’t mixed them yet.
Fact 17
A lot changed in the life of the “Irish stallion” when his first child was born. “I conquered my demons by becoming a father,” he says. “James saved my life.” However, a few years later it turned out that the boy had Angelman syndrome. But this did not affect Farrell’s attitude towards his son at all: the actor likes to repeat that “fatherhood is the best job he has ever had” and that he sees his son as a person, not a disease. “He also helps us all become kinder,” admits the actor. “I don’t know what I would do without him.”
Fact 18
Upon learning of his son’s diagnosis, Colin became one of the initiators of the establishment of a special center that studies this disease. However, the actor does not like to talk about this: he believes that helping children is the duty of everyone who has such an opportunity.
Farrell with his son
Fact 19
Despite his violent temper and scandalous reputation, Colin often calls himself a mama's boy. And he constantly says that his mother is the ideal of a strong woman.
Colin and Rita Farrell
Fact 20
As for girls, Colin’s Don Juan list would be the envy of any womanizer: among his “victims” are models, actresses and singers. “There are many luxurious women who know how to present themselves,” the actor confesses, “But with such women it quickly becomes boring. And there are others, at first glance much more modest, but you can drown in them without a trace. I prefer these. Because there is no more sexual organ than the heart.”
Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman in The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
James wants what we all want.
Colin Farrell with his youngest son Henry after a morning run. June 2020. Photo: dailymail.co.uk
Farrell says he has met dark, cruel, mean people in his life. Villains who taught him a lot and, most importantly, made him understand what kind of person he doesn’t want to be in this life. These were tough and valuable lessons, but they were not what helped him change his life for the better.
His son's diagnosis nearly brought him to his knees, but in the end it was little James who taught his father Colin the most important lesson. “I couldn’t change my life for myself, but I did it for my son. He gave me a chance to improve."
James cannot speak or communicate, but, according to his father, he magically brings out the best in those around him. “He thinks, he feels, he knows exactly what’s going on, and he has a voice. It’s just that this voice is hidden inside, and you need to find a way to let it sound,” says the actor about his son.
There are so many people around who move beautifully, speak beautifully, are “normal” and yet very often feel deeply unhappy. Colin himself is no exception. And 17-year-old James doesn’t move right, and is very upset that he can’t speak, can’t explain how he feels, what’s happening to him. Everything is given to him with incredible difficulty, for everything that was “given to us for free”, he has to pay a high price, but he is as happy as possible...
The most important thing Farrell learned was to never let others judge your child's capabilities. When James was born, doctors said he was unlikely to walk, but at age four, James took his first steps! His efforts, drive, frantic desire worked against all odds. “He has the main thing - the desire to experience life, feel it, share it with others. It's just a little more unique than most. And instead of words he makes the most amazing sounds,” says Colin.
Colin Farrell: about women, sober sex and monogamy
Colin Farrell's reputation haunts him, but he sees his past as a Hollywood bad boy as just a prelude to something bigger. Despite everything, Farrell has not lost his Irish charm. When the now 37-year-old actor came to America 14 years ago, he earned the respect of such ace directors as Steven Spielberg and Terrence Malick, as well as the well-earned beer-shop nickname of Lusty the Leprechaun. The actor has not been drinking for the last 8 years; now he is the father of two children and one of the best actors of our time.
He was very touching in Saving Mister Banks and The Winter's Tale. The last picture is generally an extremely romantic love story. Although in the life of the actor himself there was more drinking and disorderly drunken sex than romance. He spoke about this in a recent interview.
-Who was your first love?
— I was madly in love with Marilyn Monroe - as much as a 9-year-old boy can be in love, as much as his young and tender heart is capable of.
- When did you first see her?
— In the film “Some Like It Hot.” She broke the ice with an ice pick and talked about the tenor of the saxophone and how it gave her goosebumps. There was some kind of fragility and need for comfort in this... it was so noticeable in Marilyn that even as a boy, I felt it.
-Did you get nude photographs of her?
- You know, yes. And I was constantly ashamed. That's why I switched to nude photographs of less recognizable girls.
— What will all the girls who have ever dated you agree on?
- The fact is that our parting was always much more stormy than meeting and getting to know each other, unfortunately. Construction is a gentle process, unlike demolition and destruction.
— “The Winter's Tale” is a romantic story. What films do you consider romantic?
“The Bridges of Madison County” is a very touching film.
- What is the craziest thing you have done for a woman?
“It’s not a hard and fast rule, but sometimes the more money we spend, the more we kill the true essence of romance.”
- Okay, then, what is the smallest and most personal thing you have done for a woman?
— I'm just trying to weed out the gold diggers (Laughs). I once spent the night with someone in a ruined building in a very distant land. It wasn't hot there, it was as unromantic as one could imagine. But we lit a fire, took sleeping bags, wine and an old portable DVD player. Its battery lasted exactly half of the movie It's a Wonderful Life. But it didn't matter. We had no intention of inspecting it.
— Did you have any memorable nights at the Playboy estate when you first arrived in Los Angeles?
“I think I’ve only been there twice in my life.” For the then 23-year-old Irishman, it was something of a rite of passage. I told my friends and bragged a lot. But in the end, the shadow of this haunted me for a long time.
- Yes, sex tapes. They offered you $5 million for them.
- It was all terrible. I had to pick up all these tapes. I had to explain for 4 hours why I didn’t want them to be released. I don’t want my mother to somehow see a cassette with my video in a hotel and say: “Oh, I haven’t seen this work of my son yet.”
— When you stopped drinking, were you worried that it would become more difficult for you to communicate with women?
“I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to communicate with anyone at all.” Before that, for 15 years, I probably hadn’t said a word sober.
— Was it difficult for you to sleep with a woman while sober?
— I loved one woman for about 2.5 years after I quit drinking, and it was one of the most terrible moments in my life. It was at lunchtime. The windows and curtains were open. It was tender, but also terrible. Because before that I was only used to drunkenness and dark rooms, clubs, toilets...
— Do you believe in monogamy?
- Yes. Very. I don't know if this is possible for me, but I believe. When I'm in a relationship, I'm monogamous. But when not...
“But you believe in the value of monogamy.”
— We often meet people who are 70, 80, 90 years old and who still hold hands. But I think it's not for everyone, marriage is not for everyone.
— Could you fall in love with a woman who doesn’t like your films?
-Yes, sure. I need to learn to love myself, not my films. I need the same from others.
Dignity and respect are our birthright.
Photo: patch.com
Farrell does not have his own charitable foundation, but he actively supports various NGOs and hospitals in several areas: at-risk youth, HIV and AIDS, disadvantaged people, survivors of bullying and homelessness, the Homeless World Cup, children's health, support for depression and attempt suicide, poverty and hunger, mental problems, slavery/trafficking.
The lion's share of the actor's regular donations goes to the FAST Angelman Syndrome Therapy Foundation. He is involved in funding medical research and training doctors in the hope that a cure may soon be available to make life easier for people with this disease.
Farrell says he is happy for his child, but would never downplay the ordeal that many parents of sick children are forced to go through - all the pain and horror of suffering. He had to go through this himself. It took a long time to sort out James' condition. Colin encourages parents to come together and not be afraid to ask for help. “It is important for a parent of a child with special needs to feel that he or she is not alone. The parents I know personally are incredible people. Despite any difficulties, they love their children and try to the best of their ability to provide them with the comfort, dignity and respect that each of us is entitled to by birthright.”
