Colin Farrell on bulking up for The Lobster

It's already won the Jury Prize at Cannes and, as The Lobster hits Irish cinema screens, its star opens up in an extensive Hot Press interview.
Colin Farrell opens up to Olaf Tyaransen about taking the role in Yorgos Lanthimos' bizarrely brilliant comedy-drama – "it was eccentric and was, by turns, darkly funny and absurd and violent, but, by the end of it, it was a very sweet and moving tale" – and his preparation for the part.
His character of David, the downtrodden architect forced to find a partner or be turned into an animal, carries more weight than Colin Farrell usually would.
"It just felt right," he says of bulking up. "David felt like he was a bit more round than I usually am, and that he was a bit of a comfort eater, and a little bit soft, and a little bit awkward in his own body."
How did he achieve the look?
"Just got it into me! Burgers for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and desserts, and never pass a milkshake shop without stopping in. Just eating as much as possible."
And how long to take it off again?
"Two months in, two months out. Eight weeks each end – a complete reversal."
How does that feel?
"Not great (frowns). It’s a bit shocking! But, as I said, it was a short-lived thing."
He was looking fairly svelte and lean on the cover of Men’s Health a month or two after. ..
"I had a thing to do, a very particular photoshoot that I had to be really in shape for about eight or nine weeks after we wrapped, otherwise I would have taken more time. But it was fine. I’d be disciplined in that way, but there’s a thin line between discipline and madness when it comes to that kind of stuff. I’m thinking of someone like De Niro doing it for Raging Bull, but it was quite some commitment for a low-budget Indie movie.
Elsewhere in the wide-ranging chat, Farrell talks about his family life, ambitions going forward and more.
Read all about it in the new Hot Press, on now. To purchase your copy of Hot Press 39.18 right now, order online direct from hotpress.com.
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