Colin Farrell is reflecting on one unforgettable and chaotic day while filming Minority Report.
The 49-year-old actor, who starred opposite Tom Cruise in the 2002 sci-fi thriller as Department of Justice agent Danny Witwer, recently shared a behind-the-scenes story that still makes him cringe.
Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Farrell described it as “one of the worst days I’ve ever had to film.” The trouble started when his request to have his birthday off went ignored.
“It was my birthday on May 31st, we were shooting, and I begged production—who did I think I was, $120 million film—if they would not have me working on my birthday,” he recalled. “And they went, ‘Yeah, well, we’ll see what we can do.’”
Instead, he found himself scheduled for a 6 a.m. call time after a wild night out. “I got up to all sorts of nonsense the night before,” he said.
“I remember getting into bed, and as soon as I turned off the light, the phone rang and it was the driver outside. He said, ‘It’s 10 past six,’ and I went, ‘Oh, sh—t.’”
When he arrived on set, the third assistant director stopped him, concerned. “He went, ‘You can’t go to the set like this,’” Farrell recalled.
“I went, ‘Just get me six Pacifico cervezas and a pack of 20 Red.’ Now listen, it’s not cool ’cause two years later I went to rehab, but it worked in the moment.”
The day only got harder from there. Farrell struggled to deliver one specific line: “I’m sure you’ve all grasped the fundamental paradox of pre-crime methodology.” It took him 46 takes to get it right. “Tom wasn’t very happy with me,” he admitted.
These days, Farrell has moved far beyond that chaotic moment. You can catch him in his latest role in Ballad of a Small Player, now streaming on Netflix.