Colin Farrell was among the stars at the premiere in London

The 28-year-old described working on the film, directed by Oliver Stone, as an "amazing" experience.

"I was honoured to be a part of it," he said. "And I hope people enjoy the movie - it's being better received in Europe than it was in the US."

Stone was among other guests at the premiere in London's Leicester Square.

Tough

Farrell - sporting a black jacket and ponytail - revealed that he had missed the birth of his son James while working on the film in Thailand.

"It was tough for me," he said. "But I'll be able to show him this film and tell him what I was doing at the time."

Meanwhile co-star Angelina Jolie - dressed in a fitted black Valentino coat and skirt - praised British efforts to help victims of the tsunami disaster in Asia.

The 29-year-old, who is a goodwill ambassador for the UN, said she planned to visit the region soon.

Angelina Jolie praised British efforts to help the tsunami victims

"I think we need an extended focus on the rebuilding and not have everybody in the press focused on the story for just a few weeks."

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"At the same time, we need to not lose focus on the other crises around the world that are continuing to happen daily. They haven't gone away."

Other guests at the premiere included Jolie's ex-husband, actor Jonny Lee Miller, and the Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who appears in the film.

Director Oliver Stone said he hoped Alexander would be more popular in the UK than the US, where it was panned by critics.

"I think people in England are more educated about the ancient cultures and know quite a bit more about Alexander than my own country," he told reporters at the premiere.

Passion

Earlier, he defended the film, saying he was "taken aback" by the reviews in the US, which called the film "puerile" and "indifferent".

Colin Farrell plays Alexander the Great in the film

"I operate on my passion and sometimes I'm naive, I don't think about the consequences," the director said.

Stone referred to the controversy the film has created in the US by presenting Alexander as bisexual.

"Sex is a large issue in America right now, but it isn't so much in other countries," Stone said. "There's a raging fundamentalism in morality in the US. From day one audiences didn't show up."

However, the director said he was proud of the film.

"We have created something that will last in many forms. It's a mountain, in my opinion. It's the epic of my life."