Colin Farrell discusses the squirm-inducing opening scene of The Killing of a Sacred Deer, confirming that the footage captures a real surgery. The sixth film from idiosyncratic Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, The Killing of a Sacred Deer was released in 2017. Part-psychological horror and part-revenge saga, the film follows a cardiovascular surgeon whose idyllic existence is upended when a mysterious teenager enters his life.

Farrell stars as Dr. Steven Murphy, a surgeon living in the Cincinnati area with his wife, Anna (Nicole Kidman), and their children, Kim (Raffey Cassidy) and Bob (Sunny Suljic). Barry Keoghan plays Martin, a teen whose increasing demand of Steven’s time, coupled with a twisted desire for justice, has paranormal implications. The Killing of a Sacred Deer also features Alicia Silverstone as Martin’s mother and Bill Camp as Steven’s anesthesiologist.

Related: The Killing Of A Sacred Deer's Ending Explained

In a recent appearance on Hot Ones, Farrell opens up about filming the stomach-turning opening sequence, which features a heart surgery in graphic detail. The actor confirms that Lanthimos and his crew captured a real quadruple-bypass surgery, with Farrell in attendance. Though he describes the experience as “very intense” and “upsetting,” he says it was illuminating for his understanding of “the checks and balances of the human body.” Still, he concludes, “I wouldn’t want to see it again.” Check out Farrell’s full quote below:

“[It was] very real. Real real. Real real real real, doesn’t get any more real, smelling burning flesh... Yeah, it was intense. Very intense. I f**king never saw anything like it in my life. So upsetting. As horrible as it looked, I had an appreciation for the checks and balances of the human body. I did. I came away from it going, okay, it really is what we’ve all known, but I’ve seen it in action when it’s been broken down and somebody’s trying to fix it. It is put up and it’s in a garage and it’s a car, it’s an engine, it’s a computer, it’s whatever. There are certain things that have certain consequences, and you plug certain things in– obviously [that’s a] gross simplification. But…yeah, it was weird. I wouldn’t want to see it again.”

Though Farrell was understandably disturbed by the surgery, as evidenced by his vivid recollection of the sights and smells, the scene is just another day at the office for his character. Indeed, it demonstrates Steven’s ability to compartmentalize the graphic nature of his work and the minutiae of daily life. As Steven treats the heart like so many carburetors, for example, he and his anesthesiologist chew the fat about wristwatches.

Fortunately for Farrell, he hasn’t had to sit in on any more surgeries since The Killing of a Sacred Deer. (The hacking off of his leg in the 2017’s The Beguiled was, thankfully, simulated.) That said, the actor has been the subject of other bodily transformations in the name of cinema, most recently as the Penguin in The Batman. Though Farrell’s intense Penguin makeup disguise wasn’t quite so harrowing for the actor, it did leave his young son “utterly terrified.” At least this time the scars are fake.   

More: Where To Watch The Killing Of A Sacred Deer Online (Netflix, Hulu Or Prime?)

Source: Hot Ones