Colin Farrell ready to get his career back on track

Colin Farrell insists he's changed his ways - after what he describes as a five-year 'booze and women' binge.

The 31-year-old 'Daredevil' star - who recently spent time in rehab - is set to get his career back on track by starring in three new movies.

The first film, Pride and Glory, a film also starring Ed Norton about police corruption, followed by In Bruges, a quirky comedy in which he stars with Brendan Gleeson about two hit men hiding out in Belgium.

He's also starring in Woody Allen's darkest film in years, Cassandra's Dream, opposite Ewan McGregor - a heady mix of work that bodes well for Farrell's career after big films like Alexander and Miami Vice failed to ignite at the box office. More importantly, however, Farrell is determined to keep his head clear these days and avoid the excesses of the past.

"It's time for me to get back to work," He said. "I've been off for eight months and I'm getting anxious. I feel I have a much better outlook on life these days and I realise how fortunate I am to have the kind of life I have and the opportunities to work and travel and experience things.

"I accept that I lived this wild life and for whatever reason it was something I needed to go through. I don't disown my past, but it was like a blur. Now I've come out of that strange time where I couldn't really see what was happening to me and what was going on. I feel I've figured things out and I'm looking forward to living with more clarity and purposeOtherwise you're just headed nowhere fast."

Colin also spoke about his daughter - who he recently revealed is suffering from a rare disorder, Angelman's Syndrome, and that he is devoted to helping ex-girlfriend Kim Bordenave raise the child and give "all the support I can possibly give."

For Colin, the paternal bond has been the catalyst that has changed his life completely.

He says: "I don't know how to explain it properly, but for the first time in my life I feel really in love with someone. And I know from the deepest part of my soul that I will love my son James for the rest of my life. That's the only way I know to describe my feeling for him.

"So I need to be a good man, a good father, and be more vigilant in how I spend my time and look after things.

"When I look back at my life and see all the luck and success I've had, it's staggering I'd be a fool not to take stock and keep building on everything. I feel I'm just starting to get on with my career and getting a grip on things."

On his recent stint in rehab: It gave me a chance to think about what I had accomplished, the mistakes I made, and where I wanted to take my life from here," he says.

"I wasn't looking at the world clearly before because I never bothered to stop and think about my life. I was too busy drinking and womanizing my way through life.

"So, yes, rehab did change me. It opened my eyes. I don't feel like I need to live at some frenetic pace to be happy. I don't have to be excessive to enjoy myself. I feel like I've earned the right to relax now, stay cool, and just be more sensible and more responsible.

"You don't have to be hell-bent on getting somewhere if you don't really have an idea where it is you're supposed to be going. Before I was just living the moment, taking it all in, and not really paying that much attention to where everything was taking me.

"I didn't have any focus beyond whatever film I was involved in. I was just living from one project to the next and having a good time.

"There are still ups and downs, hard times and happy times, and life isn't always a bed of roses. But I have a better sense of who I am now and I feel I have a purpose now, a reason for getting on with things."

By Owen Williams, Jan 26 2008 © Copyright 2008 - Showbiz Spy