Colin Farrell scored a nomination at the Oscars thanks to his work in the pitch-black comedy movie The Banshees of Inisherin. That level of success provides you with an opportunity to look back at your best movies, and indeed your worst movies.
For Farrell, one of the worst memories of his career was the 2000s movie Alexander. Directed by Oliver Stone, the historical epic drama movie starred Farrell as the famous ruler Alexander the Great.
The new movie was a passion project for both Farrell and his director, so they were shocked when it fell flat on its face with critics and struggled at the box office.
“Expectation is a dangerous thing. Alexander was a story that Oliver Stone had dreamed of since he was in college. So, as grand as it was, as global as it was, as political as it was, as thrilling as it was, as violent as it was, and as sensual as it was, it was really personal — to Oliver and to me,” said Farrell in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter.
Farrell said the atmosphere among the team was jubilant, with Oscar nods expected. But when the reviews came out, Farrell said people started to say the epic movie wasn’t good. And he was surprised.
“I was like: ‘Well, what do you mean not good?’ I felt so much shame. I found myself in a place where with everyone I met, I wanted to say: ‘Have you seen Alexander? If you have, I’m really sorry’. I’m not even joking. I wasn’t going to give them their $20million back, but…”
Farrell admitted he went to a ski resort to lick his wounds for a while and regrouped after his speedy rise to fame. We’re glad he did, because we wouldn’t have some of the best Colin Farrell movies without that moment of introspection.