Colin Farrell has revealed that his own past struggles with gambling addiction informed his portrayal of a high-stakes gambler in the upcoming film Ballad of a Small Player. The actor, who stars alongside Tilda Swinton in Edward Berger's adaptation of Lawrence Osborne's novel, said the role allowed him to explore the 'terrifying' allure of risk-taking.
Set in Macau's opulent Wynn Palace hotel, the film follows Farrell's character Brendan Reilly, an Irish thief posing as an English lord who hides out in the casino after stealing a fortune. Swinton plays the investigator hired to track him down. Farrell described the hotel as 'a bit of a headfuck', comparing it to 'living inside that giant Fabergé egg' – a reference to the hotel's centrepiece, a mechanical phoenix that emerges from a giant egg every 15 minutes.
Macau, a former Portuguese colony now part of China, has a gambling culture far more subdued than Las Vegas, with servers offering tea rather than cocktails. The film's production designer Jonathan Houlding transformed the abandoned Rio hotel into a shabby-chic casino, complete with gaudy chandeliers and mirrored pillars. Author Lawrence Osborne, who attended the shoot, noted that many gamblers in Macau adopt fake titles, saying, 'No one questioned it.'
Farrell's own history with addiction made the role particularly resonant. 'It’s like fencing with a close friend. Terrifying in a lovely way,' he said of the gambling scenes. The film is expected to release in 2025.
