“The Penguin” star Colin Farrell on the metamorphosis of his character
Colin Farrell plays Oz Cobb in HBO’s The Penguin and talks about the character’s ambition, pain, power and possible Batman projects.
This is not the Gotham you remember.
Sure, the infamous city of the one and only Batman has always been portrayed in comics, movies and TV as a run-down, crime-infested hellscape with a few skyscrapers. The cops are corrupt, the politicians are corrupt and even the criminals are too evil for the other criminals. This is the city that Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight just wanted to see burn.
But the Gotham depicted in HBO’s new Batman-esque film The Penguin (9 a.m. EDT/PDT Thursday, also Sundays starting Sept. 29, ★★★ out of four) is even grimmer. This Gotham is filled with the same villains, violent crime, and lack of sunlight (seriously, it’s always cloudy in Gotham), but this time there’s no hope. That’s perhaps because there’s no hero here: no Batman, no CGI, no battles between good and evil. Just Tony Soprano in Gotham City. Or rather, Colin Farrell as the titular villain in multiple layers of fake makeup, trying to make a profit and gain some power amidst the chaos. It’s fascinating, if deeply depressing, to watch.
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Farrell reprises the role he played in 2022’s “The Batman” alongside Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz. The series is set after the levee explosion at the end of the film (perpetrated by Paul Dano, played by Riddler). The city is in turmoil and the death of crime boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) has left a power vacuum.
After the Penguin (also known as Oswald Cobblepott or Oz Cobb, it’s not entirely clear) commits a rash crime of passion in the opening minutes of the premiere, he is forced to take a new and dangerous path to stay alive in the city’s complicated criminal underworld. Oz’s story is neither clean nor pretty; he loots, cheats and murders without restraint. He doesn’t care who he runs over or how badly he gets hurt. All he cares about is being alive at the end of another day.
Batman fans will recognize names from the comics and other series and films. The Falcone crime family is prominently featured even without Carmine, with psychotic daughter Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti, a revelation) playing a major role. There are other gangsters and criminals in the Penguin’s world, from the slimy Johnny Vitti (Michael Kelly) to Oz’s new inexperienced recruit Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz).
If you don’t recognize anyone, that’s OK. “Penguin” wisely crafts a story that doesn’t require any knowledge of the intricacies of Batman lore or even the 2022 film to understand and appreciate. It’s a fully fleshed-out story in its own right, and that’s what every TV show should be, spinoff or not.
Sorry, Batman: Colin Farrell’s “dark” gangster conquers the skies in HBO’s “The Penguin”
“Penguin” is more or less just a crime series that happens to feature a few Batman villains. The producers, including “The Batman” director Matt Reeves, Farrell himself and Lauren LeFranc (“Agents of SHIELD”), have put a lot of thought into the series. But the success of the series depends entirely on Farrell’s performance, which is just as shocking and disturbing (in a good way) as the film.
There are actually some impressive transformations on screen, and then there’s what the makeup artists did to Farrell, who is unrecognizable. But despite a thick layer of silicone and who knows what else on his face, the actor never lets anything get in the way of his cold, unsettling character.
Helping him is Milioti, who goes gleefully mad as Sofia, aka the Executioner. She’s a deranged killer released from Arkham Asylum and shunned by her own family for her, well, impulsive nature. Milioti’s huge eyes, which have helped her play lovable and adorable characters in the past, are instead windows into a demonic soul, used in unsettling and terrifying ways. She finds an ally or an enemy or both in Oz. Either way, the two actors are exquisite in their scenes together, which are the best part of the series.
Penguin is often far too grim and dark. No one expects a comedy, but there’s a fine line between gruesome storytelling that’s gripping and plots that are so depressing (and sometimes boring) that you want to turn off the TV. Penguin jumps back and forth between these boundaries throughout its eight-episode season.
Still, it’s hard to take your eyes off Farrell. He’s completely devoted to his role, to say the least. If you’re not looking, he might worry you.
Who knows what the penguin would do to us?
