Actor Colin Farrell on his transformation into Penguin: My eyes were there, but…

With the upcoming release of The Penguin on JioCinema Premium on 20 September, Colin Farrell’s portrayal of the iconic Gotham villain is generating major buzz. The eight-episode HBO series, which serves as a bridge between The Batman (2022) and its sequel, follows Oz Cobb, better known as Penguin, as he rises from an underdog criminal to a powerful Gotham kingpin. This highly anticipated series promises to delve into the complex psychology of one of Batman’s greatest adversaries.
Farrell, who plays Penguin, recently spoke about the intense transformation process he underwent to bring Oz Cobb to life, particularly highlighting the use of prosthetics to drastically alter his appearance. Lauding prosthetic designer Mike Marino for his work on The Batman, Farrell said, “I was so fascinated and overwhelmingly impressed by the brilliance of what Mike Marino designed for Penguin in The Batman. I’d never been totally consumed by, buried beneath this overhaul.”
The transformation was so complete that Farrell felt completely lost under the layers of prosthetics, marking a significant departure from any previous roles he had undertaken. “When I looked in the mirror [as Oz], [there was] no me looking back. My eyes were there, but everything else was just overwhelmingly different. Just other,” he revealed. “With this, I was nowhere to be found.”
Farrell’s experience with prosthetics for the role was a pivotal part of shaping his approach to the character. Recalling the moment he first saw a 3D bust of what his Penguin character would look like, he said, “I malfunctioned. I went, ‘Wait a second. I’m gonna look like that?’… There was a whole history of a human being on this face. There was a scar, there were the pockmarks… There was a harshness and a sense of tragedy to it.”
This striking physical transformation sparked a creative breakthrough for Farrell. While he initially struggled with his portrayal of Penguin, seeing the detailed prosthetics allowed him to fully embody the character. “As soon as I saw it, this new wave of excitement overcame me… a whole world of possibility that my imagination wouldn’t have been strong enough to concoct opened.”
The Penguin, developed by showrunner Lauren LeFranc, also stars Cristin Milioti, Michael Kelly, and Shohreh Aghdashloo. With Farrell’s remarkable transformation at its center, the series is set to offer a dark and gritty exploration of Gotham’s underworld, bringing Penguin to life in a way never seen before.
The series premieres on 20 September on JioCinema Premium, and fans are eager to witness Farrell’s chilling portrayal of