Was it CGI razzle dazzle or good old fashioned makeup and prosthetics? Here's how Colin Farrell transformed into the terrifying Penguin and left audiences stunned in the process.
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00:00Was it CGI razzle-dazzle, or good old-fashioned makeup and prosthetics?
00:05Here's how Colin Farrell transformed into the terrifying Penguin, and left audiences
00:09stunned in the process.
00:10Colin Farrell is unrecognizable as Penguin in The Batman, to the point where some folks
00:15had no idea it was him underneath a costume while watching the movie.
00:18The same sentiment rings true for his outing as Oswald Cobb on HBO's spinoff series The
00:23Penguin, where he continues to look nothing like the charming Irish actor everyone knows
00:27and loves.
00:28The franchise clearly wants Farrell's appearance to reflect the Penguin's sleazy aspects, and
00:32accomplishing this feat was a difficult task for the creators.
00:36Farrell has praised acclaimed makeup artist Michael Marino for bringing Cobb's distinct
00:39look to life in The Batman and on The Penguin.
00:42Despite being impressed by the artist's creative prowess, however, the actor noted that he
00:46had to sit in the makeup chair for up to four hours some days, and that doesn't include
00:50the time he spent filming his scenes.
00:52I mean, it was so comprehensive, the whole thing, and to look at myself in the mirror,
00:56you know, in the trailer, and see that staring back at me was very powerful."
01:00The patience and hard work paid off, though, as Farrell truly inhabits the character.
01:04That said, while sitting in a makeup chair for hours was a challenge for the actor, Marino
01:08also faced difficulties while creating the Penguin costume.
01:11Marino and his team had to invent a costume that embodied the character without going
01:15overboard.
01:16This required the creators to craft original prosthetics, which Marino opened up about
01:20in an enlightening interview with Forbes.
01:22Marino told the outlet,
01:23"'On the technical end, we've really developed a new kind of silicon, which varies in densities
01:28and thickness.
01:29It was like many different variables of skin, like it was created by God.
01:32As a designer, I have to think of, how do I get close to that?
01:35It's not just one material, one thing.
01:37How can I have Colin's face move the most realistic?"
01:40Marino added that it was a constant effort to make Penguin look believable and prevent
01:44his appearance from being too weird.
01:46Unfortunately, most people agree that the makeup artist did a great job working on the
01:50Batman and the Penguin, as the character's look is enough to make viewers suspend their
01:53disbelief and believe that he's a living, breathing person.
01:57On top of that, the costume allowed Farrell to come out of his comfort zone.
02:00Colin Farrell was ready for a Penguin series as soon as he put on the makeup to shoot the
02:04Batman.
02:05The actor believes that the franchise has only scratched the surface of the places it
02:08can take his character, and it's a role he clearly has fun playing.
02:11That said, he's also credited Marino and his team for creating a costume that made him
02:15feel comfortable, playing such a dastardly villain without any reservations.
02:18Furthermore, it meant that he could disguise his true feelings during bad days on the set.
02:22Farrell told ITV,
02:23"...I could be having a really bad day, and nobody would know.
02:26It was basically mask work.
02:27I would find it hard, I think, to even give myself permission to be as vulnerable and
02:31decrepit and narcissistic and psychopathic if I didn't have the bells and whistles of
02:36being completely hidden behind this mask.
02:38I felt very liberated."
02:39The debate surrounding who's better between Farrell's take on Penguin and Danny DeVito's
02:43in Batman Returns will undoubtedly rage on for years to come.
02:46However, even if you prefer DeVito's portrayal of the Gotham villain, there's no denying
02:50that Farrell put his all into the role.
02:52As a result, it's arguably one of the Irish actor's best performances to date, and he's
02:56impressed in lots of projects.