Colin's coming home for a quiet Christmas

It's been nearly a year since the Castleknock native was home for the premiere of his movie Ondine, where he was accompanied by his stunning ex, and mum to his new baby Henry, Alicja Bachleda.

But this time around, the actor will be coming home as a singleton after he and the Polish actress called time on their three-year relationship.

And in a far cry from his former hellraising days, the Alexander star will be ensconced with his tight-knit family and close friends during his time here.

"Colin used to come home from LA every Christmas and just go on the rampage in places like Renards. You would always know when he was back because he would be pictured coming out of the clubs. But now that he's on the dry and has two young boys, he has completely changed.

"His children and his family are his number one priority now and he'll be having a quiet time during his trip back here, just enjoying catching up with everyone. He's going to the Dubai Film Festival for a screening of The Way Back but will be coming back in Christmas week."

The star confirmed this recently after saying how now that he has turned over a new leaf, he is far less visible during his trips back home and doesn't stir up the same interest among the paparazzi.

boring

"For a while I was out more and I was very easy to find," he said. "Obviously now I'm in the gaff and boring, I'm not interesting to press any more. You need X-ray lenses to get at me."

As well as conquering his drink and drug demons, Colin is also firmly back in the driving seat when it comes to his career.

His new movie London Boulevard opens in cinemas this week and he has embarked on a whirlwind publicity tour to promote the flick. Co-starring Keira Knightley, it sees him take on the role of a London gangster named Mitchell who's released from prison and falls in love with a reclusive young movie star.

But despite having been hounded by photographers throughout his career, he has admitted that a scene which sees him getting into a fight with a paparazzi wasn't as enjoyable as he expected.

"In reading that, I thought I would have more fun -- that more of a sense of weak, diluted, personal justice would be felt," he explained. "I've had my run-ins with the good boys with the cameras over the years, so it made me laugh.

"I know I enjoyed the concept of somebody getting physical retribution in that way. But in doing it, it just became another scene. I was investing enough in Mitchell that I didn't have my own personal relationship to it any more."

He has also been offered the coveted role of Douglas Quaid, originally play by Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a remake of sci-fi action film Total Recall.

mfinn@herald.ie