Following the events of Batman (2022), Oz Cobb, aka The Penguin, attempts to take over Gotham’s criminal underworld. From melting makeup to filming in freezing temperatures, Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti discuss how they got into character during the production of Penguin. Colin Farrell fought hard to get his version of The Penguin to smoke tobacco in Batman (2022), but he was unsuccessful. However, in his own series, the character is portrayed as an occasional tobacco user, preferring cigars.
The umbrella falls and the logo changes to the Warner Bros. logo. He appears in Graham Norton and stars Lady Gaga/Demi Moore/Colin Farrell/Richard Ayoade/Jack Savoretti (2024). Dirty, brooding and dark, but Farrell manages to capture that spark of charm that Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano did.
There are similarities to the Sopranos, especially in tone. There are a lot of dark things going on in that opening episode, but there are still comedic moments that fit the tone and don’t undermine it. Amazing is the right word. I love watching talented star actors give their all in roles like this, and the makeup/CGI or whatever they did to physically transform him into the penguin not only passes the eye test but looks incredibly realistic.
There’s always the risk that if the makeup isn’t good enough or is just a little off, it can be completely distracting. In the case of the penguin, it adds to his performance and the overall quality of the show because it’s such a damn good job. I may be a little biased since he was one of my favorite actors before this show, but I think this one will earn him some well-deserved praise. I never really tune into new shows right away because I like to watch all the episodes at once, but I wanted to see how this one actually turned out.
I wasn’t disappointed, in fact, it blew me away. Check out our recap of “Yellowstone” Season 5, Part 2, “Squid Game” Season 2, and more of the most anticipated new and returning shows coming to TV and streaming.