Colin Farrell says transforming into the Penguin was 'utterly liberating'

By Yi-Jin Yu

From movie star to a mobster, Oscar-nominated actor Colin Farrell transforms into a DC Comics villain in the new drama miniseries "The Penguin."

Farrell joined "Good Morning America" on Wednesday to dish about his starring role as Oswald "Oz" Cobb, also known as the Penguin. He is reprising the role, which he first played in 2022's "The Batman," which starred Robert Pattinson as Gotham's reluctant hero.

To turn into the Penguin, who was brought to life by makeup artist Mike Marino, Farrell had to spend up to three hours each shooting day in the makeup chair, a period he called "magic time."

Colin Farrell appears on "Good Morning America," Sept. 18, 2024.

"In 25 years of being an actor, I've never done anything that was as immersive as this, as instantly immersive, that was leaning into the talent of others, namely Mike Marino and his great team of artists and the work they did," Farrell said.

Macall Polay/HBO

Colin Farrell stars as Oz Cobb in a scene on “The Penguin."

"I remember looking in the mirror and what I'd see looking back was not me. I was nowhere to be found," he continued. "It was really [a] powerful experience and, like, everyone here would feel the same thing, when you get that submerged, that hidden, it kind of gives you the [freedom]. You would think it's limiting, but it's not. It was utterly liberating, which is good because the character is super dark and the show is a descent into psychopathy."

Despite the show's dark angle and having to sit in a cooling tent periodically while in costume, Farrell said he is "just really grateful" for the "intense and wonderful experience" of playing "The Penguin."

"I was a 7-year-old kid with my a--- on the carpet in my parents' living room … looking up at Adam West and seeing Burgess Meredith doing his thing," he said, referring to reruns of the 1960s live-action "Batman" TV series, in which Adam West played the titular hero and Burgess Meredith played the Penguin. "So that part of me is still very much alive. So, I just feel mad grateful to be a part of the show and part of the lore of the world of Gotham."

"The Penguin," based on the DC Comics character, will be released on HBO on Sept. 19.