Colin Farrell Confesses He’s Still a ‘Nervous Wreck’ & ‘Uncertain’ on Set (Exclusive)

Colin Farrell and Fala Chen sit down with “Extra’s” Terri Seymour to dish on their new psychological thriller “Ballad of a Small Player.” 

The film follows Lord Doyle (Farrell), who is in a downward spiral of drinking and gambling in Macau. As he struggles to keep up with his debut ,a casino worker named Dao Ming (Chen) offers to help. A private investigator (Tilda Swinton), however, is hot on his heels.

Colin talked about how the film hits you with “volume and color and emotional distress from start to finish.”

As for why he was drawn to the film, Farrell said, “It was both at the same time a really vast story in relation to the environment that it was taking place in of Macau, but it was incredibly intimate as well. It was incredibly contained.”

He went on, “From the first time you see the lad I’m playing, it’s just he’s actually just after falling off the cliff and he’s just about to make his descent into absolute madness and distress and so I knew it would be an interesting time.”

Colin said of Doyle, “He’s looking in all the wrong places for meaning and he’s looking in all the wrong places for certainty and for a sense of belonging. He can’t reach out to anyone and nobody can reach out to him because he’s not even there. He’s just so stepped away from what would actually truly serve him.”

Chen shared what she loved about Dao Ming, saying, “I love her resilience and her  openness to the unknown… I love her strength and I love her love for another almost a stranger… She has a really big heart.”

Fala raved over Colin as a co-star — but Colin joked he’s still just “a nervous wreck”! 

“It’s really, really amazing to see someone who has as many years’ experience and accolades and all of that, but just shows up as kind…”

Colin interjected, “And is still a nervous wreck. I’m really uncertain.”

Chen laughed and insisted, “Hey, that brings energy and curiosity.”

She went on to praise his “open heart” and “generosity and being the most open person in the room.”

Fala said, “It changes the set really. It changes everyone’s energy. It makes us want to be more open and honest and giving.”

Talking about their scenes together, Colin shared, “It’s the only time that the facade drops away is when he’s with her… there’s a beautiful vulnerability and a sense of accountability and a sense of self-awareness that he’s completely devoid of for the majority of the film.”