Colin Farrell

Colin Farrell in Total Recall

Colin Farrell in “Total Recall”

For the past five years or so, Colin Farrell has been touted as the next big thing in Hollywood, but we haven’t seen him do anything especially remarkable since he first entered the industry as the star of the war drama, “Tigerland.” It’s not that we don’t like the guy. He’s delivered plenty of cool action flicks (and banged a bunch of Tinseltown’s hottest stars) along the way, but he still hasn’t established himself as the accomplished actor he’s supposed to be. Born in 1976 to a Dublin working class family in one of Ireland’s toughest towns, Colin quickly fell in love with the idea of acting from the American movies imported to Europe.

After leaving high school and spending a year in Australia, Colin enrolled in the Gaiety School of Drama, only to drop out shortly after he received his first role. It wouldn’t be until several years later when Colin finally made his jump to Hollywood in the Joel Schumacher Vietnam flick, mostly thanks in part to Kevin Spacey, who suggested the young actor for a small role in “Ordinary Decent Criminal.” Since then, Colin has quickly become Hollywood’s most popular bad boy, and though his rep still precedes his career, he’s scraped together a respectable resume full of action flicks like “Daredevil” and “S.W.A.T.,” and thrillers like “Phone Booth” and “The Recruit.” Recently, Colin checked himself into a rehab center for drug and alcohol abuse, so here’s hoping he’s cleaned himself and getting back on track to becoming the next big thing.

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Colin on the Screen

Colin Farrell’s career has had its ups and downs to be sure, beginning with his breakout role in Oliver Stone’s “Tigerland,” which he then followed up with action films like “Minority Report,” “The Recruit,” “Daredevil” and “S.W.A.T.” Roles in alternative movies like “Alexander” and “The New World” didn’t do as much to show his range as he would have hoped, but he eventually bounced back with standout performances “In Bruges” and “Horrible Bosses.” More recently, the actor appeared in remakes of “Fright Night” and “Total Recall.”

Colin Says

On his lifestyle:
“I’m single, I’m rich and I’m a movie star. If I can’t have fun at this, what’s the point?”

On some of his less-favored decisions:
“It’s not that I’m stupid. I just don’t think sometimes.”

On his diet:
“I don’t go to the gym or practice yoga. And the closest thing I have to a nutritionist is the Carlsberg Beer Company. I just have the appetite of a pigeon.”