Gabriel and Colin win Globes by a short nose
Sunday January 18 2009
We don't need La-La Land to tell us what great actors Gabriel Byrne and Colin Farrell are. But it's always nice when others appreciate them.
At the Golden Globes, Colin was best actor in a musical or comedy for his performance in Martin McDonagh's In Bruges, and Gabriel scooped the "best actor in a TV drama series" award for his role as a psychoanalyst in the American series In Treatment. Colin was, it turned out, in need of some kind of treatment. But hey, we can all relax. "I have a cold," he said from the stage in Los Angeles, sniffing. "It's not the other thing it used to be." On the other side of the world, Gabriel Byrne was sniffing too. "The reason I didn't make it was because I was filming with a dreadful 'flu and I was advised not to fly. It was a private celebration on the couch with my girlfriend," Gabriel, referring to Anna George, told me on the phone from his home in Switzerland.
"She drank champagne; I had Barry's Tea and buttered toast. And there's nothing wrong with that," he laughed and added, "A win like this gets world-wide attention, but next day it was back to work, though it was made emotional by the reception I got from the crew, and emails and texts from so many people. But I'm still the same old two and sixpence I was.
"It was gratifying to be acknowledged for my work by the Hollywood foreign press at the Golden Globes. I had no expectations of winning," the two and sixpence continued, saying that he was sorry he missed the after-party with Messrs Gleeson, Farrell, Rhys Meyers and Gabriel's agent, Teri Hayden. But you know what I say about Ireland's favourite two and sixpence: half a crown is royalty by any standard.
- Barry Egan
