Colin Farrell wears his heart on his sleeve for 'Ballad of a Small Player'

Colin Farrell talks about the raw power of 'change' in literature: 'We'd all be in trouble otherwise'

Irish actor Colin Farrell turned out on Tuesday (October 14) to launch his latest film "Ballad of a Small Player", out in limited theaters on October 15 and streaming on Netflix on October 29.

Based on the book by Lawrence Osborne, the psychological thriller follows Lord Doyle (Farrell) a man busy gambling away stolen money in Macau's casinos when his past starts to catch up with him.

Tilda Swinton plays a private investigator out to confront him, while Fala Chen's character Dao Ming, a worker at the casino, wants to help him.

"Redemption is one of the most powerful paths," Farrell told Reuters, adding, "It's why it's been tread so often in literature and in films and in theater, the idea of change. Without it, we'd all be in serious trouble, you know."

The film is directed by Edward Berger, whose World War One epic ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' won best picture at the Academy Awards in 2023, and his next film "Conclave" also featured heavily at this year's Oscars. 

However, in Hollywood, there's a saying that you're only as good as your last movie. 

When asked if he felt like Hollywood actors are akin to gamblers while picking their projects, Farrell said, "Don't get me wrong, when something comes out and it doesn't work, it's a bit crushing. I know nobody's stealing money from your bank account, when something doesn't work out and you've been paid by then. I get it all. But just as a human being who's worked with a collective of 300 people with a common goal, when something doesn't work, it sucks but you just move on. And then the same with the successes as well."

Fortunately, Farrell is admired by his cast and crew. His co-star Fala Chen said, "Colin comes to work, not to show or tell, but to give. He's always there to give not only to me, but to everyone else on set. He just has the biggest heart and the most generous person in the room and it's really infectious."

Farrell, himself, is there for the teamwork. He said, "I mean, it's not lost on me how magic it still feels to walk onto a film set and see production designers bring these worlds alive and work with props masters and props departments who are bringing in all these tchotchkes and details that help create the world and build the world. It's not lost on me, but at the same time, I've been doing it a while now. Not complacency, but it's my job."

So after intense performances in "The Penguin" and now in "Ballad of a Small Player", how does Farrell decompress?

"When I'm not shooting, I'm just home. I'm just home with the kids and doing a little road trip and reading and watching movies and going for a bite of dinner with my mates... That's it. Just life, you know."