Farrell, Gleeson, and McDonagh’s first collaboration in the dark comedy “In Bruges” cemented a real partnership between them. It’s taken years for the trio to collaborate once more, but it was all about finding the right project that could accommodate both Farrell and Gleeson — and live up to the hype of “In Bruges.” In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Farrell revealed that McDonagh was “nervous” to offer up a new project so soon. “[H]e felt ‘In Bruges’ had enough of a cache of love out in the film-loving community that he didn’t want to get me and Brendan together unless it was something that he felt incredibly strongly about,” the actor explained.
Reservations aside, McDonagh sent his newest idea to Farrell and Gleeson around seven years ago. “He emailed me and Brendan, ‘Hey fellas, here’s this script I was working on. Have a look. Tell me what you think.'” In this iteration, Pádriac was nothing like the character we’d see in “The Banshees of Inisherin”:
“My character was much cooler in the earlier version. There was a big shoot-out, and at the end, I died bleeding out with a gun in my hand and a chair. The character had a bit of moxie in him.”
Said moxie might have appealed to Farrell initially, but it made it difficult for Gleeson to relate to his own character. “Brendan thought the script was great but couldn’t understand his character, couldn’t find a way in, couldn’t find a reason for the severity with which he cuts ties with me,” Farrell explained. “And then Martin said, ‘I don’t like it. Maybe I’ll rework it.'”