Now that they have each received nominations for their roles in the 2022 comedy/drama The Banshees of Inisherin, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are basking in their glory at the moment. The movie might be about a friendship breaking up, but theirs is very much intact as reported by CBS in a recent interview.
This isn’t the first time the two have worked together. They also starred together in the 2008 crime comedy, In Bruges, where they played hitmen Ray and Ken. It happened to have been written and directed by Martin McDonagh, who also directed The Banshees of Inisherin. He knew he had to bring the dynamic duo back together because their on-screen chemistry is so magical.
While Farrell took home Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes, they both walked away with COVID. They were delighted to do the interview since it was the first one since being quarantined. During the CBS chat, they shared a great story about the kind of friendship they have. It begins with the knowledge that Farrell had to go through rehab for drinking in 2006. By the time they met in 2008, he was sober, which sets the stage for their special first meeting.
Farrell explained that the two had a meeting at the Chelsea Hotel where, as the actor recalled:
“He (Gleeson) opened the door, I went into the room, we sat down, and I know that this man would like a pint every now and then.” Farrell then told the story of that moment when Gleeson offered him a drink. “And he went to a minibar that looked like it hadn’t worked since the ’50s, and he opened it up, and he pulled out two bottles of water, and he went, ‘Still or sparkling?’ And just in that moment, I swear to God, it’s the sweetest thing.
“The simplicity of that gesture told me there is a man that’ll look after you. There’s a man that’ll take care of you. There’s a man that considers people.”
When asked about their friendship, Gleeson said:
“I have known a lot of kind men in my life. I’ve been lucky about that. You know, my father was a kind man, and I knew kind friends who were there for you. I don’t find it odd, but I knew immediately—I knew immediately with him. So, that’s why the friendship lasted, because he’s somebody who considers people to an extraordinary degree.”
After two home runs, there is no reason why there can’t be a third.
The Banshees of Inisherin is streaming now on HBO Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.