by Hollywood heartthrob Colin Farrell says that while he has never been dumped or ‘ghosted’ he has experienced “loss and fear regularly”.
peaking on the red carpet at the premiere of his latest film The Banshees of Inisherin, alongside co-star Brendan Gleeson at Dublin’s Lighthouse Cinema this evening, the Dublin actor told Independent.ie: “I’ve had friendships that have petered out but I’ve never had a friend draw a line in the sand the way Brendan’s character has.”
He was referring to the plot of the latest film by Oscar-winning filmmaker and playwright Martin McDonagh in which remote West of Ireland islander Padraic, played by Farrell, is suddenly dropped by his lifelong friend Colm (played by Gleeson), with startling results.
Attending the premiere was a Who’s Who of celebrities, including U2 frontman Bono and his wife Ali, their close friend, Dublin artist Guggi, as well as actor Brenda Fricker, filmmaker Jim Sheridan, Gleeson’s son actor Domhnall Gleeson, musician Gerry Fish and television personality Brendan Courtney, as well as Arts Minister Catherine Martin.
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Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, Bono, Ali Hewson and Martin McDonagh arriving for the Irish premiere of The Banshees of Inisherin at The Light House Cinema. Picture: Collins
The black comedy-drama, filmed on location on Inishmore on the Aran Islands and Achill Island in Co Mayo, brings the two Dublin actors together for the first time in 14 years since they co-starred in McDonagh’s 2008 comedy In Bruges, which netted Farrell a Golden Globe award for Best Actor.
And the pair were relaxed and clearly enjoying each other’s company as they chatted with reporters about their latest film and working together again after so long.
“It’s like the instruments were put down and then we came back 14 years later and the instruments – the fiddles were in the same place, the guitar was in the same place, the microphone was in the same place – and we just picked up whatever we picked up and we continued to play,” Farrell said.
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Colin Farrell signs autographs for fans at the Irish premiere of The Banshees of Inisherin in Dublin. Picture: Collins
“I swear to God, that’s what it was like,” he said.
Asked about his own experience of being abandoned by a friend, he said that while he hasn’t been dropped per se, “I’ve experienced loss.”
“We’ve all experienced loss and we’ve experienced the fear of being excluded from the hearts and minds of people that we love. Whether it starts with our parents or on the playground, so loss isn’t really a novel notion,” he said.
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Minister Catherine Martin with her husband Francis Noel Duffy arriving for the Irish premiere of The Banshees of Inisherin. Picture: Collins
“And I’ve experienced loss and I’ve experienced fear regularly – we all have an experience and depth and a wellspring to draw from,” he said.
“But loss and fear and belonging and community and the need for solitude and the concern about legacy and our mortality approaching, all of those things are so universal,” he added.
Asked if he missed Ireland, Farrell, who is based in Los Angeles, said he was disappointed when he returned to the location on Achill Island with his youngest son after touring around Ireland for several weeks to find the ‘edgy’ pub that featured in the film was gone.
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Bono with his wife Ali Hewson at the Irish premiere of The Banshees of Inisherin. Picture: Collins
“I went back six weeks after we finished shooting and the f***ing thing was gone. Of course, it was gone, it was made of cardboard, it was just a gravel thing there. It was almost upsetting. But the power of the vista when you came out of the pub… and you’re looking at the loneliest old f***ing thing in the world, the horizon threatening you with its inevitability, threatening you with its endlessness.”
The film also stars Dublin Marvel actor Barry Keoghan, who was not present at the premiere, and Co Tipperary actress Kerry Condon. It opens in Irish cinemas from October 21.
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