The Penguin Star Colin Farrell Praises the DC Show's Makeup Artists

Farrell teases his performance in Max's The Batman spinoff.

By Jenna Anderson

Later this year, Max subscribers will be treated to The Penguin, a live-action series offering a new look at te iconic Batman villain. The Penguin is centered around the ongoing adventures of Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin, portrayed by Colin Farrell with the help of nearly-unrecognizable prosthetic makeup. In a recent interview with SiriusXM's Jess Cagle, Farrell teased what fans can expect from The Penguin series, and also offered high praise for makeup artist Michael Marino, who has worked with him on both The Batman and The Penguin.

"I'll be going on the, on the Mike Marino publicity tour," Farrell explained. "Mike is the gentleman who created, devised, thought up that whole face. I mean, he created the whole character. He created the puppet and I'm the marionette, is the way I think of it, and it feels like an on-the-nose description of what happened. He created this beautiful puppet and I got to animate it and it was a joy."

"We did it over a year because there was that unfortunate and necessary strike in the middle for five or six months, but it was intense," Farrell said of the series. "It's dark. The show is dark as night."

What Is The Penguin About?

While plot details surrounding The Penguin are currently under wraps, it is expected to take place in the aftermath of the events of The Batman.

"We are thrilled to bring audiences a new version of this iconic DC character that they have never seen before," Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max, said in a statement when the show was announced. "It is incredible to be working with Matt, Dylan and Lauren on continuing this story and to see Colin take his already exceptional performance in 'The Batman' to the next level."

"Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in 'The Batman,' and having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill," The Batman director Matt Reeves echoed. "Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz's story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham."

"I have long been a fan of the world of 'The Batman,' and Matt's film is such a powerful and bold entry into the canon. I am excited and humbled to continue telling stories in the grimy world of Gotham City – and what better excuse to channel my inner villain than to tell the story of Oswald Cobblepot? I am thrilled to work with Colin, Matt, Dylan, 6th & Idaho, Warners, and HBO Max as we work to bring this story to the screen," said showrunner Lauren LeFranc.

Who Is in the Cast of The Penguin?

The cast of The Penguin includes and Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni, as well as Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Deirdre O'Connell.

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"The only thing I had an idea was that I wasn't nearly getting to explore the character as much as I wanted to," Farrell explained in a recent interview with Variety. "Because there was all this extraordinary work done by [makeup artists] Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine and his team, and I just thought it was the tip of the iceberg, pardon the pun, that we were getting to do the six or seven scenes that we did in the film. I was grateful for them, but I wanted more."

Are you excited for The Batman's The Penguin spinoff? What do you think of Colin Farrell's newest quotes about the show? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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