Colin Farrell has reacted to the recent surge in success for Irish actors in Hollywood.
The Castleknock native isn’t surprised that many actors from Ireland are gaining notoriety in the entertainment industry – including Cillian Murphy, Barry Keoghan, Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott.
The Banshees of Inisherin star gushed over how “amazing” it is to have such a wealth of talent from such a small island, with a deep history of storytelling.
The actor told Entertainment Tonight: “I mean, we punch so far above our weight, you know?”
“We’re only a country of five million people and I don’t know, Irish people — just whether it’s through music, the written word, whether it’s prose of poetry, film, theatre of course, we just — we have a deep connection to.”
He added: “I think just to the importance of story and to leaning into stories and meanings with which we understand ourselves and the world around us.”
This comes after Cillian Murphy became the first Irish-born actor to claim the prestigious award of Outstanding Lead Actor at the Oscars in March, for his role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
The 47-year-old brought up his former co-star Barry Keoghan, who has experienced a huge surge in popularity since the release of his latest film Saltburn last year.
He said: “Barry’s off to the races. He’s killing it, he’s doing amazing.”
“It’s especially fun to watch as not only a friend and fellow countryman but as someone who has worked with him on numerous occasions.”
The pair worked together on the 2022 film The Banshees of Inisherin, which took home eight Oscar nominations and four BAFTA wins during last year’s award season.
The pair also starred together in Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer in 2017.
Colin added: “He’s great, he’s doing amazing.”
“I saw him last week for the first time in close to a year and he seemed like he was in great form, so it was great to see him.”
