Colin Farrell And Brendan Gleeson Feared The Banshees Of Inisherin Would Ruin Their Friendship

Before setting a fictional friendship ablaze in "The Banshees of Inisherin," Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson portrayed a very different sort of relationship in "In Bruges." As hitmen named Ray and Ken in the titular city of Bruges, they embodied a pair who were closer than brothers — and with the same amount of problems. But despite their differences, the characters were willing to die for each other. On top of that, Farrell and Gleeson became close behind the scenes.

However, "The Banshees of Inisherin", which reunites Farrell and Gleeson with their "In Bruges" director Martin McDonagh, brings to life a very different kind of story. Whereas "Bruges" told the story of two friends who'd die for each other, "Banshees" follows two friends who'd just as soon kill each other. Set on a fictional island off the coast of Ireland, the film spins a true tragedy out of the dissolution of its main characters' friendship. Of course, Farrell and Gleeson — who inhabit these characters with fury and pathos — might be forgiven for thinking this film would ruin their off-screen friendship. But according to the newly minted Oscar nominees, it did the opposite.

Considering the massive difference in tone between "In Bruges" and "Banshees of Inisherin", Colin Farrell was naturally worried that "Banshees"' dark tone would affect his off-screen camaraderie with Brendan Gleeson. In a recent interview with Deadline, he admitted as much, saying, "I was nervous ... about whether [Gleeson] was going to be a little bit more distant. I was just wondering. Because I knew where he was going to go." For his part, Gleeson acknowledged that some actors tend to go Method and then recreate their on-screen toxic relationships in real life. "I've had it happen, where people come up and they won't talk to you in person," he said.

Ultimately, Farrell was relieved to find that Gleeson hadn't gone Method for "Banshees". As for Gleeson, he was just glad that he could preserve his years-long relationship with Farrell as well. "Myself and Colin had got on like a house on fire with 'In Bruges,'" Gleeson said. "I did wonder if there would be anything of the script that would creep into our relationship off-screen." Of course, "like a house on fire" might sound like a very bad thing, but it's actually an indication that the two men got along very well. It's also a very clever allusion to a key scene in "Banshees", which is a film that anyone who loves verdant hills or snappy, tragicomic dialogue should see ASAP.