‘Winter’s Tale’: The box office disaster Colin Farrell called “authentically profound”
Colin Farrell wasn’t always the box office draw or critical darling he is today. In 2014, the actor starred in Winter’s Tale, a film that flopped both critically and commercially, earning just $30million on a budget easily worth double that amount.
The magical-realist film, exploring themes of time, reincarnation, angels, and demons, was initially deemed unadaptable by Martin Scorsese, who had been attached to direct. However, after some pre-production shifts, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman took the helm for his directorial debut—a project that may have proved more challenging than anticipated. The result is a film that, while often absurd and nonsensical, contains moments of poignancy and beauty. Its overall watchability, though, is elevated by a stellar cast and Caleb Deschanel’s remarkable cinematography.
Despite criticism, Farrell, contrary to popular consensus, maintained that the film was “authentically profound”—and he had good reason to.
Part of this was because Farrell was able to work with one of his idols: Eva Marie Saint, star of On The Waterfront and North by Northwest. At the film’s press junket, the two actors shared nothing but praise for each other. Farrell enthused: “I had one of the most incredible periods of the last 15 years on a film set with her. I’ve been aware of her work since my early teens… I love working with actors who are slightly older than me but have a greater depth of history in life and film.”
He lauded her as both a wonderful actor and person. “Colin and I became lovers,” Saint quipped. Their warm interaction made it clear that this was an incredibly significant experience for both actors.
Despite its flaws, the film ushered in a new era for Farrell’s career. At the time, Farrell was considered box office poison by many, and the failure of Winter’s Tale mightn’t have helped his case. Alongside the success of Saving Mr Banks, though, the experiences clearly had a positive impact on his confidence and led to Farrell taking more risks. These were two of his most sentimental roles thus far in his career and seemed to have unlocked a new side of him. He mentioned at the time that the film “solidified a suspicion I already had that I think I’m okay with life being defined more by mystery than by certainty… I’m okay. The older I get, reaching and hoping and aspiring to know less and less and less.”
In the decade since Winter’s Tale, Farrell has experienced a second career renaissance rivalling the one that followed his collaboration with Martin McDonagh on In Bruges. In 2015, Farrell starred in Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster, showcasing a markedly different, reserved side of the actor—arguably one of his best performances. He continued this streak with Lanthimos’ Killing of a Sacred Deer and Sofia Coppola’s adaptation of The Beguiled, where he played a crueller, more repugnant character.
Since then, Farrell’s career has been on an upward trajectory. Each of his films reveals a different persona and style, solidifying his position as one of the 21st-century’s finest actors.
