Colin Farrell defends weight loss

Colin Farrell has insisted that fears over his recent weight loss are unfounded.

Recent reports have claimed that the actor's friends are worried for his health after spotting the sudden change in his appearance. However, Farrell has confirmed that he was asked to lose weight for his role in new movie Triage.

"I lost weight because my role demanded it," Farrell told People magazine. "It was all very healthy."

He then provided a quote from the 1998 Scott Anderson novel that the film is based on: "He went to the bathroom to shave. Once his beard was gone, he saw that his face had become drawn. He pressed at the hollows beneath his eyes, the pronounced nubs of his cheek bones."

Farrell plays a young war reporter in 1990s Bosnia in the movie. Filming will continue until the end of next month.