An adaptation for the ages. At least, that’s what Oliver Stone and the cast and crew of the 2004 film, Alexander had hoped for. Set to tell the tale of Alexander the Great's rise to power across the ancient world, Colin Farrell was cast to play the young Macedonian prince and later king, who would carve out one of the largest empires the world had ever seen. The team had hoped the historical epic would be Oscar-worthy, however, it turned out to be a monumental disaster and nineteen years after, Farrell can still feel the sting of that disappointment.
Production on the film spanned three continents and took six months while gulping a budget of $155 million. However, the film was not well received by critics with issues of xenophobia and the accuracy of historical accounts highlighted. Alexander had a limp outing at the box office, grossing just over $167 million to the horror of all involved. Farrell in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, recounts that experience and how it made him feel. “Expectation is a dangerous thing,” he states. “There was a load of things that went on with Alexander. The most significant thing to be a part of was, you know, two or three hundred people who traveled the world over six months to tell this story and bring it to life.”
The Banshees of Inisherin star recalls that the film was the brainchild of director Stone with the cast and crew believing so much in the project they had really high expectations. “When I say “expectations’, we all have our tuxedos ready. I’m not even joking. There was some of the lads, yeah, who were all like ‘Right, lads, we’re off to the Oscars. This is a sure thing, because we had Oliver Stone,” Farrell says. Ultimately, the film was released, and then came the reviews, Farrell recalls his sister, Claudine, saying, “Oh god. It’s not good”. There were no percentages to gauge how bad it was, everyone had to read and go through printed reviews with many scathing remarks about the lead man himself with some reading, “Alexander the Dull, Alexander the Boring, Alexander the Inarticulate, Alexander the Weak, Alexander the… I was like ‘Holy sh*t.’ And I thought ‘What can I do?’ I felt so much shame."
The criticisms leveled at Alexander were not entirely unwarranted given that there seemed to be gaps in many of the most important moments of the Macedonian general and king’s life. One of his greatest enemies, the Persians were not properly depicted in either wears or military organization. Alexander or not, Farrell has come back stronger since then with many brilliant performances including the recent features, The Banshees of Inisherin and The Batman, serving as a testament to that fact.
Watch Farrell and co-star Brendan Gleeson discuss The Banshees of Inisherin below: