OPENING DOORS

THE ACTOR IS ALL ABOUT CHOOSING JOY, TAKING RISKS AND EMBRACING SECOND CHANCES

- Jennie Noonan

Just three weeks after he wrapped his award-winning role as a villainous Gotham gangster on TV's The Batman spin-off The Penguin, Colin Farrell was relieved to swap marathon workdays under hot prosthetics for a whimsical road trip with Margot Robbie in romantic fantasy film A Big Bold Beautiful Journey.

"It was a bit of an antidote because The Penguin is so dark," Farrell told Fandango of switching gears from his Golden Globe-winning role as the Caped Crusader's nemesis to a movie that follows two charming strangers who meet at a wedding and embark on a magical tour of self-discovery.

"We all know it's only make-believe, but if you're spending 14 hours a day convincing yourself that reality is a certain way, you start to begin to feel that reality when you go home in the evening," he continued. "The Penguin was amazing, but super dark and messed up, so to come on to this film with Margot and be playing two characters bouncing off each other ... it was an antidote because it was such a joyful experience, this whole thing."

The movie from filmmaker Kogonada, who previously directed Farrell in 2021 sci-fi drama After Yang, sees Robbie and Farrell's characters step through literal doors to relive important moments from their pasts to understand how they got to where they are. Farrell, 49, told Variety. “No. There’s no darkness in it. Those things in and of themselves aren’t dark. They may be painful, but they’re not dark experiences.”

Farrell deeply related to the themes of the film, particularly when coping with the death of his father, Eamon, who passed away at age 83 in April. he said in a September interview with Extra.