Colin Farrell appears at the San Sebastián Film Festival to promote Edward Berger's thriller Ballad of a Small Player. The actor portrays Lord Doyle, a gambling addict who faces mounting debts in Macau while searching for redemption. Farrell drew upon his personal struggles with addiction to develop the character, though he admits gambling never affected him personally. The film adapts Lawrence Osborne's novel about a man who encounters someone who might provide salvation.
Farrell prepared for the role by visiting Macau's casinos to study gambling behavior firsthand. He describes Doyle as someone who lacks self-worth and displays selfish tendencies that make him unlikable. The actor credits his obsessive tendencies with helping him develop characters through detailed backstory creation. Berger previously premiered Conclave at the same festival one year earlier.
Farrell prepared for the role by visiting Macau's casinos to study gambling behavior firsthand. He describes Doyle as someone who lacks self-worth and displays selfish tendencies that make him unlikable. The actor credits his obsessive tendencies with helping him develop characters through detailed backstory creation. Berger previously premiered Conclave at the same festival one year earlier.
