Farrell nearly missed big break by turning up late
FORMER Batman director Joel Schumacher has revealed that Colin Farrell almost didn’t get his big break because he turned up late to a crucial audition.
Schumacher – the man behind Batman Forever, St Elmo’s Fire and Veronica Guerin – said: ‘We were casting Tigerland (a film about army recruits in basic training, set in 1971).
‘The agent who wanted to sign him (Farrell), the Creative Artists Agency guy, called me and said there was this kid in Ireland and he’s really great and he wanted me to meet with him.
‘And I said, “Okay, but the chances of an Irish kid getting the part of an American GI going to Vietnam is a stretch.”
‘And he was late. I thought he wasn’t coming. I was ready to leave and the concierge rang up and said, “Mr Farrell is here.”
‘Colin walked in and just filled the room. We talked a long time and that was pretty much it.’
He explained in an interview with the website entertainment. ie: ‘His mother, Rita, told me later that he flew back to Dublin and said, “Oh, he was great to meet but I didn’t get the part.”
‘I was flying back to LA the next day and I’d no one to play the lead. I thought, “There’s something about that kid. I’ll read him for the lead.”’
Schumacher asked the producer to bring him over to the US. He added: ‘When Colin left, every woman at Regency Films came into my office and asked me who that was.
‘Colin got himself down to Texas and worked on a ranch, and started imitating the way they talked, doing that Texan accent.
‘And the rest is history.’