When Big Brother exploded in popularity, it wasn't long before a celebrity version was launched. But surprisingly, only three official seasons of Celebrity Big Brother have aired in the United States. This is in stark contrast to its UK version, which recently re-launched with its 23rd season. As the name suggests, Celebrity Big Brother takes a group of celebrities and places them in a custom-made house that's cut off from the rest of the world. Well, for the most part; cameras inside the house track the celebrities' movements as they get along or butt heads. One of the latest episodes actually reveals a surprising story about Colin Farrell, and it might change how you look at The Penguin star.
Colin Farrell Auditioned for an Irish Boy Band Before Becoming an Actor
Season 23 of Celebrity Big Brother featured Louis Walsh as one of the contestants, who is best known for serving as a host on various Irish talent shows, including Ireland's Got Talent and The X Factor (both produced by Simon Cowell). Walsh also managed a number of pop stars, including the boy band Boyzone, who became one of the most popular acts in the UK. During an episode, Walsh revealed that Colin Farrell had actually auditioned for one of the Boyzone spots. "I know him very well as he auditioned for Boyzone, and he told me he wanted to be an actor. I knew him from Dublin," Walsh said while chatting with fellow housemates Colson Smith and Fern Britton. The audition apparently didn't go very well, and led to this exchange between Walsh and Farrell:
I said, 'You can’t sing, I can’t give you the gig' because I knew him very well. And he said to me, 'Oh, I wanna be an actor' and I said, You’re wasting your f***ing time.'"
Eventually, Farrell would take on a number of roles in the early 2000s, with the most notable being Steven Spielberg's sci-fi thriller Minority Report. To his credit, Walsh did admit that he misjudged Farrell's acting abilities, but it's funny to think what would have happened if Farrell actually did take the role with Boyzone. Could there be a timeline where Colin Farrell turned out to be an amazing singer instead of an amazing actor?
Colin Farrell’s Gotten the Chance To Show Off His Singing Chops
Despite Walsh's harsh judgment of his singing skills, Farrell actually did star in a movie that had him playing a singer. Crazy Heart stars Farrell as Tommy Sweet, an immensely popular country singer who starts reconnecting with his mentor, Otis "Bad" Blake (Jeff Bridges). Having fallen for journalist Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Blake is determined to turn his life around, and part of that is getting back into songwriting. This leads to one of Crazy Heart's best scenes, where Tommy and Blake sing "Fallin' and Flyin'." On its surface, the song couldn't be a more perfect metaphor for Blake's journey to being a better man, and it's clear that Farrell and Bridges poured their entire heart into it. But what some viewers — and Walsh — might be surprised by is the fact that Farrell sang all of his songs!
Producer Judy Cairo revealed this tidbit during Crazy Heart's premiere and admitted that she, along with the rest of the cast and crew, were surprised by Farrell's musical talent. "No one had heard him sing until he recorded with [composer and producer] T-Bone, but we assumed if he took the role that he probably could pull it off, or he wouldn't have accepted the role," she said. "His agent didn't even know he could sing." Farrell insisted that his name shouldn't be in the credits, as he wanted the spotlight to be on Bridges, who would wind up taking home an Academy Award for Best Actor following Crazy Heart's success.
Louis Walsh may have thought that Colin Farrell wasn't suited for pop stardom, but time revealed that he was a great actor as well as a great singer. And while Walsh didn't win the competition, he did manage to entertain both his fellow guests and the audience. What's more, it's the kind of fun tidbit that you could only get from Celebrity Big Brother.
Celebrity Big Brother UK isn't available to stream outside the UK.
