It’s hardly surprising that Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb a.k.a. The Penguin is getting his own HBO spinoff show following The Batman, as his performance in Matt Reeves’ blockbuster is outstanding. The actor utterly disappears into the role in every way, as he not only perfectly sells himself as an ambitious crime boss in Gotham’s underworld, but is wholly unrecognizable thanks to expert design and effects. Farrell has earned widespread acclaim for his turn… but there has also been some criticism, and he addressed some lobbed complaints this past weekend at San Diego Comic-Con.
With The Penguin now just a little over a month-and-a-half from its premiere (set to make its HBO debut on September 19), Colin Farrell virtually joined the Hall H panel for the series on Saturday, and he spoke at great length about what it took to transform him into the scarred, overweight, and intimidating Oz Cobb. He lauded the art form of practical effects and the team effort that it took to bring the character to life – but he also noted that he had his own doubts about the approach.
Colin Farrell Inquired About Playing A ‘Thin Penguin’ – And Shared Love For Gotham’s Robin Lord Taylor
His visage projected on a giant screen behind a panel that included The Penguin co-stars Cristin Milioti and Rhenzy Feliz, series creator Lauren LeFranc, makeup designer Mike Marino, and executive producers Matt Reeves and Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell directly addressed critics who have pondered why The Batman cast him to play Oz Cobb when they could have gotten a performer that naturally had the look they desired. He noted that he would be asking the same question if he were on the outside looking in, and also admitted that he asked The Batman director if portraying the comic book size of the character was necessary. Said Farrell,
I know some people were saying, you know, 'Why didn't they just cast a bigger actor or someone that looks more like the thing?' And to be honest, if I wasn't in the show, I might've been saying that kind of thing as well, right? But I'm in the show, so I know what the stages were. And as we spoke of earlier, I was cast already, so I was gonna play it in more like...and I didn't want to put on loads of weight. And Matt was like, 'I think he's bigger.' And I was like, 'Well, what about like having a thin Penguin?'
With that last idea out there, Farrell followed up by acknowledging that a “thin Penguin” wouldn’t have technically been the most novel idea. In comics, television, and film, the character has traditionally been portrayed as rotund, but that was not the direction taken for the long-running series Gotham, and Oscar-nominated star acknowledged the contribution to the Penguin legacy by Robin Lord Taylor:
And by the way, shout out to, I haven't seen the TV show Gotham, but Robin Lord Taylor, who I believe is extraordinary. I realized I mentioned Burgess Meredith and I mentioned Danny DeVito. I was gonna start watching Gotham when I was getting ready for this. Burgess Meredith and Danny DeVito were already part of my timeline as a human being. And then I was gonna watch Gotham when I thought, 'No, I better not.' I've heard Robin Lord Taylor's brilliant. I don't wanna be taking ideas or trying to do something different consciously. So I haven't seen it, but I heard he's brilliant.
Regardless of whether or not the approach would have been unique, The Batman director Matt Reeves didn’t envision a “thin Penguin” as part of his movie, and the creative team got to work designing a special look.
Embracing The Dying Art Of Practical Effects
Colin Farrell gave credit to Michael Marino for the final look that The Penguin has in The Batman, and he acknowledged that part of his appreciation for the work is a reflection of the fact that it’s an incredible accomplishment produced from what he calls a “dying art.” In modern Hollywood, practical effects are ironically not as practical as performance capture and digital creation, but there remains something exceptional and tactile about applied prosthetics and special effects makeup. Farrell continued,
I was cast and then it was [Michael] Marino that had this idea. I mean, Matt [Reeves] wanted the character to look a certain way, and there was pictures going back and forth. But the really cool thing is practical makeup. Practical effects are dying art in cinema, right? A.I.is coming in with special effects are what they are now they're cheaper to do in some ways. For me, if you look at a film like The Thing, it is so visceral. John Carpenter's The Thing – the experience, so visceral because you know what's happening is taking place in a real space, and it's being photographed.
He added that the specific plan for what The Penguin would look like in The Batman didn’t come together until he was officially cast in the film, but once he was hired, magic was made. Said Farrell,
It wasn't a case of the character was gonna be this big guy and bald and have a bit of a hook nose and some pock-marked skin and then I was cast. That would've been a bit ridiculous. I still would've been grateful and gone for it, but I was already hired. And then [Michael] Marino, the genius that he is, came in and he created this thing. So it was kind of like his art and Matt [Reeves]' art and Lauren [LeFranc]'s art and Dylan [Clark]'s art. And all of us came together to create this character...That was the process. So sorry if I took a job from someone who looked closer like the Penguin.
In making The Batman and The Penguin, Colin Farrell found himself bringing to life a character in a way wholly different than he ever did before.
Colin Farrell Feels He Owes A Lot Of Credit To His Collaborators For His Performances In Both The Batman And The Penguin
Obviously any character in a movie or TV show is the result of collaboration (for starters, the actor playing the role isn’t generally performing however they want in the moment and saying anything that comes to mind), but Colin Farrell acknowledged that bringing Oz Cobb to life has been a new kind of experience for him in his career. It’s special because he knows that his spirit and personality isn’t the only thing bringing the part to life:
I've never felt such lack of total ownership over a character that I played. And I'm really grateful for that lack of ownership because the other half – not excluding, of course Lauren's incredible writing and Matt's work and Dylan's and everyone's involved – but I share this character 50/50. I maybe on a day where I'm a bit needy will take 51 percent of it, but 49 goes to Mike.
For what it’s worth, Michael Marino did receive tremendous acclaim for his work brining The Batman to life, as he earned an Academy Award nomination in 2023.
Colin Farrell isn’t a method actor, but thanks to his collaboration with Michael Marino and the artists on The Batman and The Penguin, he found himself with the great opportunity to be “gone” and let the character just be the character.
But it's 50/50 really, to Marino and myself and the team – that extraordinary team that he works with as well, makeup team that he works with. But you know, it's a dying art. And it was brilliant to be able to be part of that and to be hidden. Like I was hidden. I was gone. As soon as that suit went on, three hours of makeup in the morning, I was gone. It was so much fun to inhabit and just did me such a favor. It was such an honor.
The eight-chapter run of The Penguin will begin on Thursday, September 19, and episodes will be available to stream after they air with a Max subscription.
