Colin Farrell left Stephen Colbert stunned when he recalled the time he got plastered drunk the night before his birthday and didn’t realize he’d still have to show up to work on Stephen Spielberg’s 2002 film “Minority Report.”
At the time, Colbert mentioned that not too much time had passed since Farrell first landed in Los Angeles before he booked his part as Danny Witwer. That’s when the Irish actor, who said he grew up watching Tom Cruise in “Top Gun,” mentioned that one of his worst days ever acting was on the “Minority Report” set.
“It was my birthday on May 31st, we were shooting, and I begged production of a $120 — who did I think I was — of a $120 million film — if they would not have me working on my birthday,” Farrell explained as a guest on Colbert’s “Late Show” on Tuesday, who said they let him that “we will see what we can do” about letting him off that day.
But his plans didn’t go as he thought they would.
“So of course my pickup was 6 a.m. on May 31st, and I got up to all sorts of nonsense the night before, and I remember getting into bed, and as soon as I turned off the light, the phone rang, and it was the driver outside said, ‘It’s 10 past six,’ and I went, ‘Oh, s—t,’” Farrell went on. He then said that it was thanks to the third A.D. that he was somewhat spared that day.
“I got out of the car and [the 3rd A.D.] said, ‘You can’t go to the set like this.’ I went, ‘Just got me six Pacifico Cervezas and a pack of 20 red,’” Farrell carried on, noting that he doesn’t condone his past drinking habits.
“Listen, it’s not cool, ’cause 20 years later I went to rehab … but it worked at the moment,” Farrell said. “All the holy people that we should look to for the answers on to live a life would say the present is all the counts. So, on that note, I had a couple of beers, I went to the set, but it was it was terri— I’ll never forget the line that I had that I couldn’t get out. It was, ‘I’m sure you’ve all grasped the fundamental paradox of pre-crime methodology.’ That was the line that started the scene.”
By that point, production asked Farrell if he wanted to take a break for some fresh air, but he refused because he didn’t want to be under more “pressure.” It took him 46 takes to nail the line.
“Tom wasn’t very happy with me,” Farrell said.
“Oh, no!” Colbert said as he pulled out an image of the two on set, which shows Cruise’s character John Anderton holding a gun to Danny’s neck.
“This is what he did, he pulled a gun on you at the end of the take,” Colbert joked.
They both then shared some laughter. Watch the full clip above.
