Out of all the performances inThe Batman, a lot of the talk has been about Colin Farrell’s portrayal of the Penguin, largely due to the fact the actor is almost completely unrecognizable under all the makeup and prosthetics. Now, director Matt Reeves has shared the story of how the look for the iconic DC character was created for this film.
Similar to Danny DeVito’s portrayal as the Penguin in Tim Burton’sBatman Returns, Farrell also wore heavy prosthetics for his depiction of the crime boss inThe Batman, an aspect that made the actor pretty much impossible to recognize in the role. In order to get a feel for it all, Farrell pointed out in another interview that hewalked into a Starbucks in full Penguin makeup.
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While there’s a lot of respect for what DeVito was able to accomplish with his version of the role, Reeves knew that he wanted to give the Penguin a more realistic look that harkens back to classic gangster films and mafia bosses. “I thought John Cazale has a kind of Penguin nose. I thought, well, maybe there’s something visually that we do. I saw him as being almost like a throwback Warner Bros. gangster,” Reeves told Variety. And after seeingFarrell gain weight for another film roleat the time (which Farrell wasn’t comfortable keeping forThe Batman), Reeves had the perfect idea in mind, as he enlisted artist Michael Marino to design the look for the Penguin.
“One day he showed me this sculpture on a head cast of Colin. It’s the character you see [in the movie]. And I was like, Wait, what? I could not believe what I was seeing,” Reeves shared. “I said, ‘We are dead in the water if I let you do this and anyone says, ‘Oh, I can see that that’s makeup.’ That will ruin everything. He said, ‘Matt, I promise you, when he walks on the set — not just when you film it but when he walks on the set — people will think, who is this guy?” As it turns out, Marino was right all along. While Reeves was a bit hesitant to follow through with the idea at first, seeing Farrell’s exciting reaction to the sculpture and how the actor already began planning thevoice he would use for the Penguin, he knew that he was ready to move forward with the design.
Reeves would also go on to point out that due toThe Batman’s production occurring during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and all the safety protocols in place, he never actually saw Farrell without his makeup on set, and since it looked so convincing, Reeves got too used to the makeup. So when filming was complete and Reeves saw Farrell not in his character’s bodysuit for the first time in quite some time, he felt like he lost a good friend. “On the last day that Colin shot, I was really sad. Because, honestly, I got to know Colin a little bit during prep. But the person I knew was Colin looked like Oz,” Reeves said. “It’s so weird. I love Colin. But that guy Oz, I know that guy. That was the guy I saw every day.”
While having limited screen time inThe Batman, fans will get plenty of Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot when he returns for his ownPenguin spin-off seriesfor HBO Max. Although still early in development, what Reeves has shared about the upcoming project is that it will have aScarface-esque story that will see the Penguin climb to the top of the criminal underworld as he tries to achieve the mythic status as seen in the comics.
The Batmanis now playing in theatres and will premiere on HBO Max on August 06, 2025.
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