发布时间: 12/17/2025
Colin Farrell and Jessie Buckley, two talented Irish performers, hardly know each other as they settle into their seats, yet they plunge straight into heartfelt territory right away. You can see why—they're both pouring everything into demanding, soul-baring lead roles from book adaptations this year. Farrell disappears into a broke gambler gripped by addiction in Macau for Edward Berger's *Ballad of a Small Player*, getting tangled up with a sharp credit hustler brought to life by Fala Chen. Meanwhile, Buckley's take on Agnes Shakespeare in Chloé Zhao's *Hamnet* hits like a gut punch, capturing a mother's raw devastation after losing her boy, only to watch her spouse channel that agony into his timeless masterpiece. It's a perfect showcase of how art can heal and haunt, something these actors get on a bone-deep level.
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Colin Farrell: Man, I kicked off *Hamnet* around 1 a.m. one night, powered through till 3, and it left me floored. I thought, "Holy crap, now I gotta face her and chat?" Pure admiration for the emotional ride you took us on—total respect.
Sure, folks might brush it off as actor drama, and I get that skepticism. But the graceful way it unpacks a parent's nightmare, something we all dread imagining? That turnaround in the film blew me away; never saw it coming like that.
Jessie Buckley: That's the magic of stories, right? They let us handle the unbearable stuff we can't carry solo. Same vibe in your flick—the frantic chase of addiction, ego clashes, dodging life's harsh truths. Did playing that out bring you any release?
Farrell: I was utterly spent by the wrap.
Buckley: And isn't that the best kind of exhaustion?
Farrell: Damn straight.
Buckley: When they ask if it was tough, I'm like, "You're kidding, right?" It's this gorgeous struggle, scraping at the rawest truths without fully grasping them. Feels impossible solo or when you're stuck, but in a tight crew with creativity flowing wide open? You're buzzing alive.
Farrell: Spot on—it's always a group effort in this gig. Lucky us, surrounded by filmmakers on set and off, sharing doubts, wonders, all the love or rough patches from real life. Bringing your mess to the table? Pure gold.
Buckley: Remember the first movie or play that hooked you, where you're like, What the hell is this mystery? I gotta sneak a peek behind the curtain.?
Alexi Lubomirski for Variety
Farrell: Kid me got spooked by *Close Encounters of the Third Kind*. Grew up on Spielberg magic and John Williams scores, but that flick—and others—had family cracks right in the sci-fi thrill. Dreyfuss's guy snapping at home amid alien chaos? Shocked me; I wanted fun, got it, but also real pain mirroring my own family vibes. No tidy fixes, just that relief of not being solo.
Buckley: No TV till my teens—we Irish live for tales. At seven, local hall did amateur *Jesus Christ Superstar*; swore the crucifixion was real, bawled my eyes out. Mom dragged me backstage to meet the guy—boom, two truths collide: he died onstage, yet waved like it was play. That's the wild pull. Echoes *Hamnet*'s end, her fury at him swiping her private hell for art, opening a door she couldn't alone.
Farrell: And it lets the crowd offer love to *Hamlet*. Everyone reaches out with support—that scene wrecked me, just witnessing shared mourning.
Buckley: Shows how terrifying real feeling is. Your Macau role, sweating that raw connection with Fala Chen's character—"Oh man, something true, so damn scary." We bolt from it hard.
Farrell: Giving space to drown in emotions? Huge gift, especially to kids. Yeah, I've had insane privileges in this career, rarefied air. But acting can't fix my son James—he's nonverbal with Angelman syndrome. Life's chaos behind any gloss.
Buckley: Total disorder. That's our calling—
Farrell: Dive into the chaos, embrace the unknown.
Buckley: More I act, more it's about getting humaner. Hands off the wheel...
Farrell: Cruise hands-free, pedal down.
Buckley: Waymo style.
Farrell: Spot one, I'm like, humans nailed it! 50k drivers out soon. Bravo.
Alexi Lubomirski for Variety
Buckley: How do you zone out on trips to tap deeper humanity, face the scares? Not fear exactly. What drew you to *Ballad of a Small Player*?
Farrell: Joy hits me hard with family, work, kids. But pain's the universal thread—fear, doubt bundled in. Not all taste joy; tragic miss. Pain obsesses me; every fight or hurt stems from owned-up agony.
*Ballad*'s guy drowns in restless torment, no backstory spoon-fed. I invented some for myself, hooked on probing it. My own addiction past, depressions, anxieties—full human buffet. But this felt separate; drew from wells, not replaying mine directly.
Buckley: Yeah.
Farrell: Addiction's fallout from dodged fears, fake answers to voids. Gotta stew in the unrest, grief, terror—no shortcuts.
Buckley: Shooting in Macau must've been a trip, that dreamworld vibe. Your line: "Invisible here, reinvent myself." Thrilling reinvention.
Farrell: Core thrill of acting. I wrestle admitting value to this—less than surgeons, sure. But sharing stories peacefully? Rare. We craft drama bipartisan, ideologies aside, feel together in the dark. No chit-chat needed.
Buckley: Absolutely. Roles I've lucked into taught me overlooked truths from youth.
Farrell: Same here.
Buckley: Those women stick; no goodbyes. Their layers wake me to me and the world.
Farrell: How'd you endure hers? Full lifetimes in one arc—did it follow you home?
Buckley: Probably. I dive in: "Six weeks in this current." Met Chloé pre-book; Agnes called. Need unknowns for grief; where start?
Fresh off *The Bride!* in NY, cracked open. Chloé demands presence—crew too. Scenes brew their magic; butt out. Much was mystery.
Farrell: Light rehearsals?
Buckley: Barely talked. Dreams guided fevered scene spins.
Farrell: Every beat pulsing.
Buckley: Post-Hamnet death bits, had to marinate. Hard transitioning daily. Told hubby: book near studio, commit two weeks.
Farrell: Linger under that shadow.
Buckley: Honor parental loss. Light touch always; Chloé same—ditch non-servers.
Ever with Terrence Malick?
Farrell: Echoed *The New World*.
Buckley: Stunner!
Farrell: Visuals, yeah. Center of love, clutching it forever like a bird—can't. Shot sequential, loose script. Discovered Eden-America's plenty.
Terrence curious; loves director's vision yet swims uncertainty with you. Wouldn't shock if he's still tweaking in Virginia. Feels eternally alive—bliss.
Buckley: Caught *The Penguin* lately—you're unreal.
Farrell: Cheers.
Buckley: Masked humanity pouring out, dexterous soul. How?
Farrell: Mask freed the real me. Felt my shadows—envy, rage, ancient roots. Obscured face greenlit raw reveals; seeing it sparked pity.
Spill on *The Bride!*.
Buckley: Script zapped me electric. Maggie's bride space—voiceless icon in *Frankenstein*. Shelley: dark needs, loves, losses.
Farrell: Primal drives.
Buckley: Unflinching monster in us, via autonomy-less mate. Vastest canvas. Wild quake; two weeks later, *Hamnet* with bleached everything.
Farrell: Zero clue, total hype.
This is a conversation from Variety and CNN’s Actors on Actors. To watch the full video, go to CNN’s streaming platform now. Or check out Variety’s YouTube page at 3 p.m. ET today.