Colin Farrell joins Chapman audience ahead of 2023 Academy Awards

On Feb. 2, Academy Award nominee Colin Farrell came to Chapman University to help kick off Dodge College of Film and Media Arts’ Spring Master Class series, following a screening of "The Banshees of Inisherin." Photos courtesy of Chapman University

Before strolling the Irish coast in cozy charcoal sweaters and a newsboy cap in the nine-time Academy Award nominated film “The Banshees of Inisherin,” actor Colin Farrell rocked sleeveless jackets, Stetson hats and a choker. At the age of 17, he traveled from bars to ballrooms with the performing troupe Step in Line teaching line dancing. Not a bad gig for 750 pounds a week. 

“But it wasn’t acting,” Farrell explained to a Chapman University crowd Feb. 2. He said he wasn’t happy and he didn’t have the tools to cope.

Farrell, now 46 years old, is unabashed about sharing his battle with addiction and the low points of his life. He looks back with an honest but forgiving lens, maintaining his chipper and charming demeanor. But much like his character Pádraic Súilleabháin (which earned him his Academy Award nomination), he is never shy about expressing his emotions. 

The Master Class was moderated by Executive Editor of Awards at The Hollywood Reporter and trustee professor Scott Feinberg.

He brings valuable lessons, outrageous stories and incredible charisma, which is why Farrell was chosen to kick off Dodge College of Film and Media Arts’ Spring Master Class series.

On Feb. 2, Farrell joined an audience of Chapman students and faculty in the Folino theater following a screening of “The Banshees of Inisherin.” The film centers around Pádraic who is devastated when his lifelong friend Colm (Brendan Gleeson) decides he doesn’t want to continue their friendship. 

The Master Class was moderated by Executive Editor of Awards at The Hollywood Reporter and trustee professor Scott Feinberg, who guided Farrell through a conversation covering his early years to his recent successes and everything in between.  

Farrell started by sharing his first cinema memory six years old when he saw “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.” His love for film would strengthen after seeing “Indiana Jones,” “Back to the Future” and “Paris, Texas.” However, in a family where expressing emotions was seen as a weakness, acting was not even on Farrell’s radar. It was the encouragement from his brother, Eamonn Farrell, who helped establish the National Performing Arts School, that caused him to give it a try. 

Ironically, Farrell did terrible in his acting courses. Motivated to get better, he stayed after class one day to ask for advice. His teacher’s response?

“What is so special about you that you need to stay after class and ask me?”

That comment flipped a switch. Fueled by determination and a bit of spite, Farrell would soon land roles in “Falling for a Dancer” and “Ballykissangel” — with Farrell even bursting from his seat to check Feinberg’s notes after learning his “Banshees of Inisherin” co-star Kerry Condon was featured in two episodes of “Ballykissangel.” 

In 2000, he starred in “Ordinary Decent Criminal,” where his co-star Kevin Spacey would bring up his name to friend Joel Schumacher, who was casting for his upcoming film “Tigerland.” 

Schumacher liked Farrell's reading but told him “if he was ever in LA” to drop by for an in-person reading. One problem: California was over 5,000 miles away. In a career-defining move, Farrell bet on himself, purchased a plane ticket and would soon land in Los Angeles. 

“There’s been times over the years where I’ve been hard on myself that I’m not that adventurous,” Farrell said. “Bullshit, Colin, you got on the plane!”

The Master Class ended with Farrell taking questions from the student audience.

The in-person reading secured him the role of Private Roland Bozz. He became emotional describing how he used the book “Dear Mom: A Sniper's Vietnam” to help shape his performance and revealed he still has a text-chain with ‘The Tigerland boys.’ His career was on an upward trajectory until 2004 with the release of “Alexander.”

Tasked with the lead performance of Alexander the Great, Farrell set the record straight that he is not ashamed of his role or the film. But with a budget of $155 million, the film was a massive flop and received harsh reviews from critics to the dismay of the cast who “thought we were heading to the Oscars.” 

“I felt such shame,” Farrell said. “You don’t want to disappoint an audience… you don’t want someone to pay 10 pounds… get a nanny, use their one night out since the (baby) was born, then come out saying the movie was shit… When I saw what the reception was, it rattled me.”

After several other projects, Farrell checked himself into rehab. After his recovery, director Martin McDonagh would approach him for the role of Ray in “In Bruges.” Farrell loved the script but was hesitant, thinking that his “baggage” would turn audience members away and the film deserved better. But that wasn’t good enough for McDonagh. 

In the Hotel Chelsea in New York, Farrell would meet with his co-star Brendan Gleeson. He shared that he was touched by the gesture of Gleeson having prepared still and sparkling water, knowing Farrell was now sober. Their chemistry would earn critical acclaim and lead the film to become a cult classic. 

“I thought, that’s a fella that’ll look after you,” Farrell said. “I love (Gleeson). He makes sense to me.”

Farrell would collaborate with McDonagh again in 2011 to film “Seven Psychopaths,” and the trio would reunite for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” which was filmed over the course of eight weeks on Achill Island and Inishmore, both off the west coast of Ireland. 

Farrell revealed that McDonagh gave them initial drafts around seven years ago, which were more plot heavy, included a storyline with a soldier from the Irish Civil War and even ended with Pádraic bleeding out. When Farrell read the updated script, he thought his character was cooler in the old version. Regardless, the film left Farrell with a lasting lesson.

“Worrying about what you’ll leave behind, you’ll miss what’s right in front of you,” Farrell said.

Farrell is taking that message to heart, soaking in every moment of his first Academy Award nomination. He was joined by Condon (who plays Pádraic's sister Siobhán) in his Los Angeles home at five in the morning for the awards announcement on Jan. 24. The two shared a kettle of tea, two cans of Guinness Zero and a box of Ferrero Rocher. Both Farrell and Condon would be nominated for their performances alongside Gleeson, Barry Keoghan (who plays Dominic) and McDonagh for his directing and screenplay.

The Master Class ended with Farrell taking three questions from the student audience, but soon decided to stick around for more. He answered questions relating to his stacked year in 2022, the definition of cinema, McDonagh's playwriting abilities and the best advice a director has given him, which was “stop doing that thing with your eyebrows.”

Senior screenwriting major J.T. Rosen left the Master Class impressed with Farrell’s view on art and the film industry. He referred to “The Banshees of Inisherin” as one of the best movies of the last couple years. 

“I loved what he said about niceness,” Rosen said. “In the film, there’s a lot to be said about what it means to be nice, but what he was talking about tonight, about humility and empathy, understanding that you don’t need to inflict pain on yourself or be a tortured artist to be a good artist… that’s what resonated with me the most.”

An audio recording of the Master Class will be available on the Awards Chatter podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. “The Banshees of Inisherin” is available to stream on HBO Max.