A-LISTER Colin Farrell believes he “was due a kick in the arse” during his time as a Hollywood hellraiser.

The Dubliner enjoyed a meteoric rise in the early Noughties.

3 Actor Colin Farrell Credit: Rex Features

He wowed audiences in films such as Phone Booth and The Recruit — which he attended the 2003 premiere of alongside pop star Britney Spears.

Yet his reputation as an actor was equalled by his status as Tinseltown’s bad boy with a fondness for constant partying and bedding women.

He hit a slump with a series of flops that threatened to derail his career, most notably in the forgettable 2004 film Alexander.

The Colin Farrell of today could not be more different. Since getting sober over a decade ago, he has managed a comeback which might not have been expected in Hollywood.

3 Irish actor Colin Farrell with singer Britney Spears in 2003 Credit: Reuters

And when he’s not on set, it’s all about yoga and the joys of fatherhood.

Now 42, he seems to recognise well how close he came to sabotaging his great fortune. He said: “I was due a kick in the arse. I really, really was.

“Because I was annoying. I had so much, so quick. I was so cocksure.”

Colin currently has three movies in production, including Dumbo, where he is the voice of Holt Farrier. He’s also working on a film about the Homeless World Cup, and one on the Iran-Contra affair.

3 Dublin actor Colin Farrell Credit: AP:Associated Press

He’s starring in Steve McQueen thriller Widows as Jack Mulligan, the son of a Chicago gangster who also gets sucked into that world.

Big-screen success is only a secondary part of Farrell’s life, as his priority is his role as a father.

His sons James and Henry are now 15 and eight. James, the eldest, was born with the rare disease Angelman’s Syndrome and Farrell is an advocate for groups working for a cure.

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He co-parents both boys with their mothers and says their needs are his focal point when it comes to jobs.

He said: “I rarely make a decision about work or anything without first wondering how it will impact on them.”

With the exception of his father and one of his brothers, all of Colin’s family now lives in Los Angeles.