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.
00:42The fact of the matter is, there wouldn't be this show if it wasn't for Michael Marino."
00:47Despite being impressed by the artist's creative prowess, however, the actor noted that he
00:51had to sit in the makeup chair for up to four hours some days.
00:54And that doesn't include the time he spent filming his scenes.
00:57I mean, it was so comprehensive, the whole thing.
01:00And to look at myself in the mirror, you know, in the trailer, and see that staring back
01:04at me was very powerful."
01:05The patience and hard work paid off, though, as Farrell truly inhabits the character.
01:10That said, while sitting in a makeup chair for hours was a challenge for the actor, Marino
01:13also faced difficulties while creating the Penguin costume.
01:17Marino and his team had to invent a costume that embodied the character without going
01:20overboard.
01:21This required the creators to craft original prosthetics, which Marino opened up about
01:25in an enlightening interview with Forbes.
01:28Marino told the outlet,
01:29"...on the technical end, we've really developed a new kind of silicon, which varies in densities
01:33and thickness.
01:34It was like many different variables of skin, like it was created by God.
01:38As a designer, I have to think of, how do I get close to that?
01:41It's not just one material, one thing.
01:43How can I have Colin's face move the most realistic?"
01:46Marino added that it was a constant effort to make Penguin look believable and prevent
01:49his appearance from being too weird.
01:51Unfortunately, most people agree that the makeup artist did a great job working on the
01:55Batman and the Penguin, as the character's look is enough to make viewers suspend their
01:59disbelief and believe that he's a living, breathing person.
02:02On top of that, the costume allowed Farrell to come out of his comfort zone.
02:05Colin Farrell was ready for a Penguin series as soon as he put on the makeup to shoot the
02:09Batman.
02:10The actor believes that the franchise has only scratched the surface of the places it
02:13can take his character, and it's a role he clearly has fun playing.
02:16That said, he's also credited Marino and his team for creating a costume that made him
02:20feel comfortable playing such a dastardly villain without any reservations.
02:23Furthermore, it meant that he could disguise his true feelings during bad days on the set.
02:28Farrell told ITV,
02:29"...I could be having a really bad day, and nobody would know.
02:31It was basically mask work.
02:33I would find it hard, I think, to even give myself permission to be as vulnerable and
02:37decrepit and narcissistic and psychopathic if I didn't have the bells and whistles of
02:41being completely hidden behind this mask.
02:43I felt very liberated."
02:45The debate surrounding who's better between Farrell's take on Penguin and Danny DeVito's
02:48in Batman Returns will undoubtedly rage on for years to come.
02:52However, even if you prefer DeVito's portrayal of the Gotham villain, there's no denying
02:55that Farrell put his all into the role.
02:57As a result, it's arguably one of the Irish actor's best performances to date, and he's
03:01impressed in lots of projects.