Eva Marie Saint and Colin Farrell aren't each others' love interests in their new film "Winter's Tale," about a romance that spans space and time and includes a magical white horse. But the pair proved on a visit to TODAY Tuesday that they nevertheless have plenty of chemistry together.
The two flirted merrily during the entire interview. When Hoda Kotb noted that Farrell's character in the film has "a love at first sight thing that happens," Farrell jokingly interjected, "Sitting to my left," indicating Saint. (His onscreen love is actually played by Jessica Brown Findlay of "Downton Abbey" fame.)
The two movie stars developed a friendship on the set, and Saint quipped that it was "more than that" before adding she actually has been married to the same man for 63 years.
"Yeah, but it's not going well," joked Farrell. "It's been rocky for 47 of those."
The thread picked up again after Farrell noted that he had to do a lot of horseback riding in the movie.
"That was very sexy," said Saint.
It became clear that their age difference — Farrell is 37, Saint is nearly 90 — wouldn't come between them.
Kathie Lee Gifford related a comment Farrell had reportedly made: "'I've never been with a woman older than 80,'" the host said he had commented.
Farrell looked a little abashed and replied, "I was joking."
Or was he, now? After all, he did tell Ellen DeGeneres in December that he wanted to be Elizabeth Taylor's eighth husband, and the two didn't even meet until toward the end of her life.
"Winter's Tale" opens in theaters on Feb. 14.