Interview of the week: Colin Farrell

NEW YORK, March 6 (UPI) -- "Mind if I smoke?"

If celebrities had a yearbook, that line would surely be under Colin Farrell's photograph. Of course, it's not the phrase for which he is best-known, but it is probably the most printable.

In a time when smoking has been banned just about everywhere in the United States, the reporters assembled to talk to the 26-year-old Dubliner are not jumping to tell him he can't have a cigarette. In fact, people don't seem to be saying "no" very frequently to Farrell these days.

So, how does the actor who made headlines recently for swearing on the Golden Globes telecast feel about his career skyrocketing to the peak of super-stardom?

"I have been for three years -- whatever," Farrell shrugs. "I just do the work and let the chips fall where they may."

Adding that he doesn't usually worry about what his next project will be, the hard-working actor explains: "There are much more important things to worry about in the world. Family, friends, health, those I love, s--- like that. News, what's going on the world. I really don't worry about (what I'll do next.)"

Of course, wondering where his next paycheck will come from hasn't been a problem for Farrell for quite a while. The actor will be seen in four of the highest profile films of 2003: the hit CIA actioner, "The Recruit" and the blockbuster comic-book adventure, "Daredevil," and later this year in the controversial sniper drama, "Phone Booth" and "Veronica Guerin," the true story of a murdered Irish journalist. On top of that, his films "Minority Report," "Hart's War," and "Ordinary Decent Criminal" have all recently landed on the shelves of video stores everywhere.

Seemingly unaffected by his newly acquired "It Boy" status, the former "Ballykissangel" star insists he is not so famous they "have to close down shopping malls for me when I go." The key benefit to being a Hollywood heavyweight, he maintains, is getting to work with actors he has admired most of his life, among them Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Kevin Spacey and Al Pacino.

So what was it like acting opposite Pacino in the upcoming film, "The Recruit"?

"I was grateful," Farrell relates. "Just grateful. It kind of speaks for itself, you know, working with Al Pacino. I never thought I'd see myself on a set with an actor of his scale and his powers. My former knowledge of him -- he's a legend, a living icon, all of those things people say he is. And I grew up on his films -- "'Scarface,' 'The Godfather,' 'Dog Day Afternoon,' you name it. So, when I found out that he was going to be in the film, I couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe it. And then the first day on the set with him, I nearly s---- myself, I was so nervous. But he was great. From day one, he was great to be around."

Pacino offers an equally glowing assessment of Farrell's talents.

"Colin said I'm not allowed to speak about him," Pacino jokes. "Have you met Colin yet? Then you know what I mean. He's just the greatest. You always say that about somebody, but you've met Colin so you know what I was with everyday. He's just a lot of fun to be with.... You really see why they've been touting him and he hasn't quite come out yet, but you can see it in this film."

Asked if he had any pearls of wisdom to share with Farrell, Pacino warns him "not to run after the money."

"Because they'll throw money at him," he explains, "and I think to try and keep his head on what he likes to do, what he relates to. I think he's going to do that."

"I've been really lucky in the last three years and I've worked on some films and pieces that I've actually really liked," Farrell acknowledges. "I've really liked the scripts and the story and the writing. And, you know, I've worked with some great actors . . . so if it all ends tomorrow, it will be fine. I'd be pissed off, but I'd get over it because I've had a great three years. So, I'm not particularly looking for any type of career. I'm just looking to go to the set and do the job."

In addition to starring in the Pacino flick, Farrell can now be seen as the character Bulls Eye opposite Ben Affleck and Michael Clarke Duncan in "Daredevil," the eagerly awaited screen adaptation of the popular comic book series. His next movie to hit theaters will be the critically acclaimed thriller, "Phone Booth," which reunited Farrell with his "Tigerland" director Joel Schumacher, and whose release was postponed last year until April 2003 after a sniper killed several people in the Washington, D.C., area. Farrell admits he was disappointed to hear the film's release date was postponed, mainly because he wanted to "put the experience to bed," but says he understands why the movie's plot might have hit too close to home so soon after the slayings. He is also quick to defend the material, noting that it was not in any way developed to capitalize on the sensational crimes.

"It's a piece of fiction written 10 years ago, shot two and a half years ago," Farrell states. "It wasn't connected in any way, as far as I was concerned, to what was happening on the East Coast. But having said that, people were dying, and it's only a movie."

The film is about a slick New York publicist (Farrell) who picks up a ringing receiver in a phone booth is told that if he hangs up, he'll be killed... and the little red light from a laser rifle sight is proof that the caller isn't kidding.

Farrell will follow up "Phone Booth" with the small role of Spanky McSpank in yet another Schumacher film, "Veronica Guerin."

The actor describes Shumacher as "just good fun to be around."

"He's a great storyteller," Farrell explains. "He's lived an incredible life -- whether (or not) he talks about it, you get that buzz off him. The man's been around. He's seen some s---. He's a good friend... After all these experiences I've had in the last three years, and they began certainly on the American side with Joel Schumacher giving me a chance on 'Tigerland.' (Acting in 'Veronica Guerin') was sort of full circle. Back to the streets of Dublin."

Despite his success in both the U.K. and American film industries, Farrell says it is important for him to stay the man he always was: fun-loving, down-to-earth and close to his family and friends at home in Ireland. Pointing out to reporters that he is still wearing the cowboy boots he got when he starred in the 2001 flop, "American Outlaws," he added, "I'm not a very material person . . . I just don't get much enjoyment from material things." Supporting that claim, Farrell says he still has the MG he bought when he was a teenager, ("I haven't driven it for a year at home. I go home for one or two weeks, so there are not many sober moments for me to be driving a car, to be honest,") and doesn't even have a permanent residence ("Still staying in a hotel. I haven't packed my bags since I saw you last.")

Asked if he was enjoying his reputation as a hellion, the actor who never misses a chance to tell journalists about his drinking habits replied: "You know, I don't try and sell it as an idea of my Irishness. It is what it is. Where I come from, the boys go for pints every night. All the lads. The pubs are full every f--ing night of the week. I come here and have two beers at lunch and all of a sudden -- ooh! I'm edgy! I can't help it."

That said, Farrell flatly says, "No," when asked if he works out and lists drinking Carlsberg beer as his number one pastime when not acting.

"I'm the same as anyone," he says. "I go and see a movie. Have a couple of drinks, dinner."

So, is he ready for the madness that is sure to ensue when all of his highly publicized films hit theaters over the nest few months?

"Who knows?" he says. "It's not good living to sit around and think about that stuff. We'll see what happens. I'll cross all those bridges when I come to any of them."