One of the most intriguing performances of the year belongs to Colin Farrell’s interpretation of Oswald Cobblepot in this past March’s The Batman. Cobblepot is the real name of the famous Batman rogue, the Penguin. Farrell seemed to fool audiences under pounds of makeup, prosthetics, and a body suit that the normally suave-looking actor was completely unrecognizable as a slimy, smarmy, low-level mafia pundit. What sold the character in his entirety was the amazingly different voice the character has from the Irish actor.
While on the promotion circuit for his new film with Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin, Farrell spills some fine details to ExtraTV on the new DC spin-off set to stream on Warner Bros’ streaming service, HBO Max, called The Penguin. It was once believed the show was to be a prequel that gave background to Oswald’s character. However, Farrell speaks on how the script starts one week after the events of The Batman.
Farrell tells Extra, “The Batman ends, so Gotham is still somewhat underwater… I read the first script for the first episode, and just, it opens up with my feet splashing through the water in Falcone’s office, which even just that alone when I read it, I was like, ‘Oh Jesus, it’s lovely.’” Farrell continues that the role is so juicy he feels greedy to want to keep portraying him. “I felt like I didn’t have enough. I wanted to do it more and more and more, so now I get the chance.”
Gleeson, who was being interviewed with Farrell, was asked about his own DC film, Joker 2, in which the actor is set to co-star. Gleeson was glowing about Lady Gaga’s inclusion in the sequel, calling her sensational. He also spoke on the reason he joined was due to the performance Joaquin Phoenix had given in the first film, “The reason I did the film was because Joaquin’s performance is still absolutely indelible… It was one of the most magnificent achievements of cinema I’ve ever seen.”
You can catch both actors in The Banshees of Inisherin in theaters on October 21.