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Colin Farrell video shows actor’s transformation into the Penguin for The Batman from start to finish

‘When I saw what [the makeup artists] did, the whole character made sense to me,’ Farrell has said

Peony Hirwani
Friday 22 April 2022 10:02 BST
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The Batman trailer

A new video showing Colin Farrell’s transformation into the Penguin for The Batman has gone viral on social media.

In the fast-forwarded clip, the 45-year-old actor is seen sitting on a chair while members of the film’s crew, headed by make-up artist Mike Marino, cover him in heavy prosthetics.

Farrell featured in the DC Comics adaptation The Batman for just “five or six scenes”, but radically transformed his appearance in order to play Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin.

The Penguin is one of the main nemeses of Batman, who is played in the film by Robert Pattinson.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast last year, Farrell said: “I’m only in it for five or six scenes, so I can’t wait to see the film because it won’t be ruined by my presence.

“Really, it’s a freebie for me. I’ll get a little bit uncomfortable for the f***ing nine minutes I have, and then the rest of it, I cannot wait to see how [director Matt Reeves] brought this world to life, because the sets were extraordinary, the production design [was] extraordinary, his use of music and sound will be extraordinary, and as you said the cast, from, all of them, Robert and Zoë [Kravitz] to – yeah, extraordinary cast.”

Speaking about his physical transformation, he added: “When I saw what Mike [Marino, makeup artist] did, the whole character made sense to me.

“I swear to God, I saw what he did, and I just went ‘okay, okay.’ And I got really excited about it. All that to say that if anyone ever thinks what I do in Batman is a decent performance, I’ll gladly take 49 per cent of the credit.”

The Batman arrived in theatres in March 2022.

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