As we’ve detailed in the past, Colin Farrell never really went away. Sure, he hid the skids in his personal life after “Miami Vice” and “The New World,” having to sober up and all that, but Farrell’s problem was probably chasing fame when in fact he’s a terrific character actor who doesn’t need to lead every super hero film or A-list role.
READ MORE: The Essentials: The 5 Best Colin Farrell Performances
Farrell talked about his initial experiences with fame in the late ‘90s and early aughts to Esquire late last month. “It all happened really, really fast. ‘Alexander‘ and then ‘Miami Vice,’ which were films that were very big and that didn’t work so much critically and didn’t work so much financially and I was made to feel aware of the fact that all of a sudden, things that I was in weren’t working,” he told the magazine. “So it just made me go, ‘Wow, OK.’ So I can’t believe in the lie that’s being presented to me anymore that I’m a movie star and that everything is great. I have this No. 1 movie, that one. Everyone is telling me now that that’s gone. So it was kind of like, ugh…all of it’s a delusion. Telling me it’s gone is a delusion. Ever believing that it was there in the first place is a delusion.”
Since he’s figured that all out, he’s gone back to doing solid work no matter the size of the film or the scope of the project. Farrell’s recently scored another uptick because of “True Detective,” whether the second season is maligned or not, and that’s helping him bag other roles. THR is reporting that Farrell’s joined Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller and Alison Sudol in “Harry Potter” spin-off “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” The events of this new series takes place 70 years before the beloved ‘Harry Potter’ films, and Farrell will play a wizard that Newt Scamander (Redmayne) meets in New York. The story centers on Newt’s adventures in the secret community of witches and wizards as he attempts to document magical creatures.
‘Fantastic Beasts’ is set for Nov. 18, 2016.