“It was very clear to me from the conversations that we had that she loved ‘CSI’ and anything that had a crime scene or Mark Harmon in it,” Farrell said. But their friendship extended far beyond making small talk about television. Farrell recalled that they briefly lost touch while he was going through a difficult period in his life, and the “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” star expressed her disappointment that he didn’t immediately open up to her about it.
“She said, ‘Why didn’t you call?’” Farrell said. “I said because I have stuff going on. My head was wrecked. I was in a bad mood. She said, ‘Well that’s not the kind of friendship I’m interested in if you’re ever only going to bring me your sunny days.’” When he was done waxing nostalgic about their friendship, he reminded the audience about Taylor’s passion for fighting AIDS and expressed hope that her legacy could generate awareness about the fight to cure the disease. “Elizabeth’s dream was to end HIV/AIDS forever,” Farrell said. “We haven’t gotten there. There’s still more work to do, which is why we’re here tonight…We’re here tonight to refocus and to also look at the work that is yet to be done in the battle against HIV and AIDS and the proliferation of it.” Farrell is having quite the year, which began with his acclaimed turn as The Penguin in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” (a role he is set to reprise in an upcoming HBO Max spinoff series). He’ll next be seen in Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin,” which is generating awards buzz after a strong showing on the fall festival circuit. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
