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Colin Farrell once took 56 takes to deliver one line because he was so hungover

Colin Farrell attends the European premiere of ‘Dumbo’ at The Curzon Mayfair in London on March 21, 2019. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Colin Farrell attends the European premiere of ‘Dumbo’ at The Curzon Mayfair in London on March 21, 2019. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Hollywood hellraiser Colin Farrell was once so hungover on set, it took 56 takes to deliver one line.

The Irish actor, who was known for his hard-partying lifestyle, was filming the Tom Cruise blockbuster Minority Report the day after celebrating his 25th birthday when his hungover state left him struggling to deliver a line.

Farrell said: “There were a couple of hairy days. I asked them with a great array of arrogance that they not work me the day after my birthday.

“I said, ‘Please don’t have me working on June 1st, ­because my birthday is May 31st.’

“I thought a 100 million ­dollar film would at least listen to that ­request... but I worked. It was a rough night and I didn’t get any sleep. The line was, ‘I’m sure you’ve all grasped the fundamental paradoxical pre-crime methodology’.

Read more: Colin Farrell: ‘I Sang Careless Whisper For Boyzone Audition’

Admittedly a tough sentence to pull off, but Farrell revealed the delay caused a lot of anxiety.

The now 43-year-old said: “I only know it now, still, 16 years later because it caused so much panic and anxiety. It should be on my tombstone.

Colin Farrell at the premiere of the new Steven Spielberg film "Minority Report." (Photo by Steve Azzara/Corbis via Getty Images)
Colin Farrell at the premiere of the new Steven Spielberg film "Minority Report." (Photo by Steve Azzara/Corbis via Getty Images)

“My sister was on the set that day and she had to leave the set after 56 takes. I was a disaster.”

The Saving Mr Banks star has now been sober for thirteen years, but admits he had previously “basically been drunk or high” since the age of 14.

He said: “For years I could indulge in certain things. I had a high tolerance for various drugs for years.

“I used to go bananas for five months then take the foot off the gas for two months and clean up a bit. I was sad. I was drinking loads.”

But, Farrell has said his missing his line 56 times was a rare occurrence, and his otherwise reliable delivery allowed him to ‘get away with murder’.

Read more: Colin Farrell tells Lorraine he got sober for his son

He said: “I could go out honestly until five o’clock in the morning, get an hour-and-a-half sleep and then put in a 14-hour day where I wouldn’t miss a beat, wouldn’t miss a mark, wouldn’t drop a line.

“I was very professional so I got away with murder for years.

“I don’t know what the perform­ances would have been like if I was sober. I don’t know if they’d be better or worse. I’ll never know.”