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LOS ANGELES—“I remember the day,” Colin Farrell declared in an exaggerated manner, smiling as he answered a reporter’s question on when he realized that he “had to surrender” to love.

The woman he “surrendered” to is Alicja Bachleda, an actress whom he met while they were filming “Ondine,” writer-director Neil Jordan’s take on the ageless “Dyesebel” theme. Alicja is the mother of Henry, his second son, who is 7 months old.

“I was sitting on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic,” Colin continued in a jokingly dramatic fashion. Then, he said grandly to laughter from the writers present, “I said, ‘I must surrender. I must give in to this feeling inside.’ ”

The actor, speaking in his Irish accent, later gave an answer that was more serious. A sweet, sensitive soul even in his so-called “bad boy” days, Colin was more candid than usual in our latest interview. Turning 34 on Monday (May 31), Colin is starting to have gray hair, and there are now lines on his face. But, these enhance his ruggedly handsome looks.

“We weren’t together when we were shooting the film,” he said about working and falling in love with Alicja, a Polish actress who plays Ondine, a selkie (a seal-woman) caught by his fisherman character, Syracuse. With the help of his ill daughter, Syracuse is convinced that Ondine might be a myth come true.

He clarified, “I mean, we spent a lot of time together and we got to know each other very intimately. It was incredible to fall into something with someone amid the backdrop of such a beautiful, sweeping, painful yet hopeful story.”

“It was after the movie wrapped,” Colin specified the period when he and Alicja, who was born in Mexico to Polish parents but was raised in Poland, got really serious about their relationship.
“As I said, there was a level of intimacy, trust and love that was forming. During the filming, we could experience so much of what we were feeling through the characters. Then we finished shooting and we came back to do some re-shoots.” He quipped, “Then I…surrendered.”

“It was really lovely,” declared Colin, who has an older son, James, 6, from a previous relationship. “In years to come, Henry will be able to watch that film and see where his mom and dad met.”

Cool mom

Of Alicja, Colin gushed, “She’s an amazing woman, incredibly smart, kind and a really cool mom. She’s just really good.” Are they eventually going to get married? “I don’t know, man,” he said. “Let’s talk about that later.”

Colin also admired Alicja for braving the brutally cold water in the South West Coast of Ireland, where they shot. “She spent a lot of time freezing in the water and I didn’t,” he volunteered. “I had one scene in the end where I jump in after a guy and I had like a two-inch thick wet suit and a wooly jumper. Afterward, I had a tin foil around me and a cup of tea. She spent a third of the film in the water. She was really tough and driven. I’ve never worked with an actor who worked as hard as she did.”

Colin claimed that he “was aware that most cultures around the world have some derivatives on the sea creature myth, whether it’s selkies or mermaids. I think ‘Ondine’ originated in Germany. I was aware of the folklore of a woman coming from the ocean to the land and effecting great change in whatever community she arrives in, especially on a landsman and whatever family he has. But, even without that myth, reading the script was spellbinding.”

When the conversation switched to the joys of fatherhood, Colin enthused, “Life is good. I’m very lucky to be around and to be able to work and, more importantly, I’m very lucky to have two gorgeous boys. It’s good. Giving up booze and all that stuff was one of the best things I’ve ever done.”

He spoke movingly about why he considers LA his home now: “Sometimes, you have to make decisions based on the climate of your life, which isn’t always dictated purely by what you want personally. It has to do with your children. Maybe you have two children who live here. One mother is Polish and lives here. The other is American and lives here, too. So, it’s not as easy as just where do I want to live. I would imagine, if I didn’t have children, I would spend a lot more time in Dublin. If I were to live in the States, I may live in New York. It’s close to Dublin.”

“But, as it transpires, it was never even something to contemplate on,” he stated. “The boys are here. If it weren’t for the two lads, I wouldn’t be living here. My sons have offered an opportunity for me to engage with this city. I live a low-key life. I love the nature that you can find here. I’m very fortunate.”

What did he learn about life now that in his 30s? “I’ve learned that I knew a lot less in my 20s than I thought I knew,” he dished. “That’s all I’ve learned in my 30s. But, then again, I could be wrong. I could know less in my 30s and I’ll tell you that in 10 years when I’m 43.
“You try and unlearn stuff, really. You rid yourself of preconceptions about certain things you witnessed and certain habits that formed in your life. You’re born in this beautiful blank canvas and you adorn yourself with all these things, these characteristics and ways of being to protect yourself and to be able to survive in society. Maybe, there comes a stage when you try and dissemble all of that.”

“I’ve even started eating fish,” he cited, part of the improved, more health conscious Colin Farrell. “I had a piece of asparagus last week. How’s that for growing up? I’m taking much better care of my body. I’m eating really healthy.”

Credits

Complimented on his singing in “Crazy Heart,” Colin laughed and said, “I had a blast doing that, man. I got to go twice to a recording studio with producers over the years and bang out a couple of tunes. The first song I murdered, ‘I Fought the Law,’ was for the movie, ‘Intermission.’ It was played over the credits in the end. Then (in ‘Crazy Heart’), with T Bone Burnett, Ryan (Bingham), Scott (Cooper, the director) and the boys, I got to sing a couple of songs. It was lovely. All those years singing with the hairbrush in front of the mirror paid off, obviously. I wouldn’t say I have no desire to do something musically in the future, but right now, no plans.”

Later, as Colin posed outdoors for pictures, he playfully sang an Andrea Bocelli song. The man can really sing.

So, what are his birthday plans? “I have no idea,” he said. With his eyes twinkling, he quipped, “I could be home watching ‘The Biggest Loser.’”

Then, he remarked, “Bring it on—age, whatever, I’m fine. 34? Hurray!”