Colin Farrell opens up during ‘Fright Night’ panel

SAN DIEGO — Colin Farrell plays a vampire in his latest film, but he says almost any role will do: He just loves being an actor.

The 35-year-old opened up during a panel featuring the update of “Fright Night” Friday at the Comic-Con fan convention.

When a fan asked whether he preferred his earlier starring roles or his more recent character parts, Farrell said that in the last six years, he “reconnected with the mystery of the whole thing and the imagination of the whole thing and how much fun it is to be an actor.”

“I came to success really quickly in relation to most other actors,” he said. “The idea of how fast the chaos around me took grip, it’s insane. And I, myself personally, I lost sight of why I went to my first acting class when I was 17 in Dublin … I lost sight of that through this good fortune I was experiencing in Hollywood. So in the last six years I reconnected with the Colin who was 17.

“It’s a lot of fun to do what we do. It’s such a fortunate place to find yourself,” he said.

He plays the vampire-next-door Jerry Dandrige in “Fright Night,” a reimagining of the 1985 horror classic that’s set for release Aug. 19.

Farrell took the stage again later in the day for a panel about the reboot of “Total Recall.” He plays Doug Quaid, the same role originated by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1990 original.

Farrell’s description of his character’s arc echoes what the actor has experienced in his own life: “I loved the idea of a man journeying from being a man in a deep, deep slumber to consciousness,” he said.

He described his character’s battle in the film as one between the intellectual and the emotional.

“Total Recall” director Len Wiseman said that while his version is totally different from the first film, it also draws from the original source material: Philip K. Dick’s story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale.”

Besides Farrell, the film stars Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, Bill Nighy, John Cho and Kate Beckinsale. It is set for release next summer.

Comic-Con continues through Sunday at the San Diego Convention Center.