Matt Adcock Meets Colin Farrell

"Hey, Tubbs - out the way this is my interview!"

Matt Adcock Meets Colin Farrell

In a London hotel an undercover bust is going down… I’m packing some heat but trying to act nonchalant, all around me are very dodgy looking people. Actually that’s not the quite case* – I’m just here to talk to Colin Farrell - Irish born Hollywood heart-throb who’s gracing the screens as one of my all time TV idols ‘Det. James 'Sonny' Crockett’ in Miami Vice. Looking for a hit after the hilariously bad Alexander – Colin is in a foul mouthed but fun mood.

Colin, Miami Vice is a long way from Ballykissangel which is where lots of people got their first look at your acting. So, how did you feel about the TV series of Miami Vice – were you a fan?

“Hey I was an 8year old still in shorts so although I enjoyed watching the original series as a kid – I don’t think it influenced me too much – in fact I think CHIPS might have influenced me more!"

Ah yes that motorcycle cop Saturday afternoon spectacular… Anyway, I heard that you got taken on a real drug bust as part of your preparation for your undercover cop role in Miami Vice – how was that?

“We did a lot of work with the undercover cops to get ready and I spent a week with them running through scenarios. I thought I had built up a lot of trust with them. They told me they were going to make a real ‘buy’ – some kilos of cocaine from some Columbians and that I could come along and have a look at a live deal. I remember thinking ‘what if one of them was one of the 15 people who saw ALEXANDER?’ maybe I'll be in trouble…
“But I went along, guns were pulled, the s*** hit the fan – I had an accident in my pants but I did get the real sensation of what it’s like when these things go awry… I found out the next day that it was all a set up!”

How you laughed I bet… But talking of guns, did you get much weapons training for this gun toting role?

“We (i.e. along with Jamie Foxx who plays Tubbs) got a lot of trigger time with live ammo in preparation for the role. By the time we came to shoot we were comfortable with the guns – it had to look like we carried these things all the time.”

Miami Vice was one of my favourite ever TV shows – I even had a cream linen jacket with the sleeves rolled up. Are you nervous about the film doing well?

“I be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. This film has cost a lot of money to make and taken 10 months of my life – so I do have an emotional involvement in it.”

Was it tough dealing with the media attention on set – and what was that about ‘Don’t talk to Colin’ T-shirts being worn?

“It’s not so tough, I mean you know you’re going to get sustained media interest all through your life if you do this job. But yeah, one of the girls – she’s mental – got those T-shirts printed, she’s fired now (kidding).”

And with that he’s gone – off to enjoy the London premier of Miami Vice – potentially my ‘film of the year’.


*There were lots of dodgy looking people – but I realised later that they were just the other film reviewers!!


Darkmatters: H O M E