Colin Farrell on Why He Had ‘No Ownership’ Over ‘Penguin’ Character

April 1, 2024 8

A lot of work went into bringing Colin Farrell‘s character to life in the upcoming Max limited series, The Penguin, which is why he’s happy to dole out credit to the crew that put him together.

Speaking to ET’s Cassie DiLaura, the 47-year-old actor beamed with pride over the painstaking effort it took to transform him into the iconic villain also known as Oswald Cobblepot. Farrell deftly portrayed the role in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, and his jaw-dropping transformation was just too good for a one-off. So much so, the streaming giant soon gave a straight-to-order series order following the film’s massive debut in theaters.

“I have never had such less ownership for a character that I’ve played than this one,” Farrell tells ET. “Like, straight-up, ’cause this show wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for Mike Marino creating the visage of that fella.”

Marino is the makeup artist and prosthetics designer who dramatically transformed Farrell into the Penguin. The final transformation was so shocking that his co-stars on The Batman didn’t recognize him on set. Jeffrey Wright, who played Lt. James Gordon, once walked by Farrell without recognizing him.

“We were like, ‘Where’s Colin?'” Wright recalled to ET last March, while Paul Dano, who played the Riddler, remembered feeling jealous.

“It’s just, like, ‘Oh man, that is good,'” he said.

Warner Bros.

But that’s a testament to Marino’s mastery and the rest of the crew that helped bring the character to life. It’s why Farrell never shies away from giving Marino and everyone else a devotional bath.

“It was three hours in the chair every morning, which is fine ’cause I love the crew that we had,” Farrell says.

He added, “There were people that were making the eyebrows in L.A. and sending eyebrows out. And there was someone that did the teeth and there was such a collection of people who came together to create [it]. It takes a village. I loved working on it. It was amazing.”

Max recently dropped the latest teaser for The Penguin. In the teaser, Farrell reminisces about his childhood in a classic gangster monologue as footage of violence and gunfights in Gotham City’s seedy underground ramp up along with his story.

“When I was a kid, there was a gangster, real old-school type. Rex Calabrese. He was a big deal. He helped people. He saw you on the street, he’d call out to you,” Cobblepot narrates in the video. “When I was 14 or something, he has a heart attack and dies, still holding a cigar. In my neighborhood, they throw a parade in his honor. A friggin’ parade. It wasn’t fancy, but it was a gesture, a show of love, of what he meant. Can you imagine to be remembered like that?”

The Penguin will premiere sometime this fall on Max.

However, Farrell’s transformation into the Penguin was very different from the work he put in to become John Sugar in AppleTV+’s upcoming drama, Sugar. In that series, Farrell plays an enigmatic private detective who struggles with personal demons as he investigates the disappearance of a Hollywood producer’s beloved granddaughter.

“I lifted a few weights and had a few green juices and all that kinda jazz,” Farrell shared about preparing for the titular role. “And then had a really solid fight coordinator. So, yeah, just that kinda thing. I’ve done bits and pieces through the years, so it’s always fun to work with your body.”

In addition to Farrell, the star-studded cast of Sugar includes Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Amy Ryan, Anna Gunn, James Cromwell, Dennis Boutsikaris, Alex Hernandez and Lindsay Pulsipher.

Hailing from Apple Studios, the series is directed by Fernando Meirelles, who also serves as executive producer, and executive produced by Simon Kinberg, Audrey Chon and Scott Greenberg. Chip Vucelich also executive produces.

Sugar drops April 5 on Apple TV+.

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