Colin Farrell: Irish film's Oscar-nominated renaissance man is ready for his second act

From rapid ascent to a vertiginous fall from grace, Colin Farrell has come full circle, finding himself on the cusp of Oscar glory 23 years into his career. This is no surprise to Ed Power, who says it all began with a little movie called In Bruges

Colin Farrell attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on February 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

The renaissance in the career of Colin Farrell has been 15 years in the making. In 2008, not long after the Dubliner had flopped as a Hollywood leading man with the disastrous one-two of Alexander and Miami Vice, he was cast alongside Brendan Gleeson in Martin McDonagh’s vinegary comedy-drama, In Bruges.

This was a small movie that had big consequences for Farrell. It showed that there was a future for him outside mainstream movie stardom. A decade and a half on, the Dubliner, now firmly established as a character player, is up for best actor at the Academy Awards. Completing the circle, the film that has brought him to the cusp of Oscar glory is another Martin McDonagh feature, The Banshees of Inisherin.