'Even in passing she had me under the thumb, sweating bricks,' shares the 'In Bruges' star as he recalls reciting Gerard Manley Hopkin's poem 'The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo' at the service.
- Mar 30, 2011
AceShowbiz - Colin Farrell has indeed struck up an unlikely friendship with Elizabeth Taylor. The "Miami Vice" hunk was one of the few outsiders attending the screen legend's private funeral last Thursday, March 24, where he recited Gerard Manley Hopkin's poem "The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo".
To Access Hollywood, the "Horrible Bosses" actor revealed it was the "Cleopatra" actress' request for him to read the material. "She asked someone else to ask me [to read it]," he spilled. Saying he felt "sad and honored" for the part, he also shared, "Elizabeth chose it. It was a tricky poem as well. Even in passing she had me under the thumb, sweating bricks."
Asked how they get to know each other, the 34-year-old actor replied, "How did we become friends? You know, the old story of boy meets girl, the boy pesters girl with too many phone calls at inappropriate hours of the night." He added, "I was just lucky enough to become her friend in the last year and a half. I adore her...still."
Elizabeth Taylor passed away in Los Angeles in the early hours of Wednesday, March 23. She died of congestive heart failure at the age of 79. The Hollywood icon was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California last Thursday in a private Jewish ceremony, which started about 15 minutes after the announced start time at her request.
