The Brogued One Lets Fly on Smelly Pigs, Irish Geeks and Hitting the Bullseye

As the narcissistic, unapologetic and hilarious villain Bullseye, the potty-mouthed Irish actor makes sure even Ben Affleck ends up fighting to hold the screen.
Sure, most people who see Daredevil probably missed his breakout role in Tigerland, his bigger one in Hart's War and, well, most of the 11 other movies in Colin Farrell's suddenly hot Hollywood career. But that's okay. As the narcissistic, unapologetic and hilarious villain Bullseye, the potty-mouthed Irish actor makes sure even Ben Affleck ends up fighting to hold the screen.

Where are you calling from?
I'm on the set of [the upcoming thriller] S.W.A.T., in the beautiful town of Vernon, California.

Where in the hell is that?
I don't know where the f--k I am most places, man. I'm just sitting in the car looking at the freeway, and the next thing I know, I'm someplace I've never even f--king heard of. All I know is there's an abattoir here, and at 7 at night, there's the beautiful stench of f--king pigs. We're downwind toward the set. It's f--king stomach churning, and we'll be here for the next two weeks.

The line in Daredevil where you demand a costume is the best in the movie. Bullseye had one in the comics, right?
In the comic, he has a blue lycra costume. They f--king did me a favor by putting me in that trench coat.

Are comics part of growing up for boys in Dublin?
There's no comic-book culture, per se, where I come from. Then I was exposed to the comic culture in this piece, but I haven't taken it up.

Have you since become a fan of comics?
I just read and gained an appreciation for Daredevil and the folklore of comic books, and those characters in particular--Kingpin and Elektra and Bullseye and Daredevil. I just kind of gained an understanding of that world.

As far as gaining a passion for them, it's just not something I really have a particular fondness for. I get why people love them, and you can never underestimate the power of escapism, and there's some beautiful mythology in them and so on and so forth. But it's just not really my cup of tea.

That's why computer games are wasted on me. I pulled my hair out after two minutes of boredom, you know? I like music, I like dancing, I like talking to people, I like looking at art in galleries. I just never went down that way.

Did you like superhero movies?
As a child, I loved Superman. All of them. I couldn't wait until the next one came out. And then I loved the Batman series, and I really loved Michael Keaton as Batman.

Ever imagine that you'd play a superhero?
No. Never. Honest to god, it never crossed my mind.

Are you any good at hitting targets?
No, not really. I can bowl. On one frame, I throw it in the gutter, and the next frame I'll get a strike, and that's it. And darts I can play a little bit. Not as good as Bullseye, of course, but I can play a little bit of darts. It's not part of the Irish culture, per se, but there's a board in the various pubs, and I had one when I was a kid.

Michael and Jennifer got to take on Ben in hand-to-hand combat. Your fight with him was more about effects. Any regrets?
No, I never had the chance to take down People's Sexiest Man Alive. I was trying for it, man.
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2/11/2003
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