Movies - TV
Colin Farrell Didn't Want To Put On Weight To Play The Penguin In The Batman
By MICHAEL BOYLE
Colin Farrell had to gain over 40 pounds in just eight weeks for his role in 2015’s “The Lobster,” a feat that the actor admitted took a toll on his body and was, in his words, “not that fun.” Having gone through that ordeal, Farrell refused to gain the extra weight to play the heavyset Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot — The Penguin — for Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.”
In an interview, Farrell shared, “I was somewhat bigger when I met [Reeves], and he liked the weight that I had on for a TV series called ‘The North Water.’ I played a whaler and I put on quite a bit of weight. And Matt was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I love it. I think that’s Oz!’ And I was like, ‘Nah, man, let’s have a thin Oz because I’m not feeling great now, I have to lose this weight.”
Farrell’s Penguin came as a result of heavy amounts of makeup and prosthetics, which sound overwhelming, but Farrell enjoyed the experience. “You get such license to have absolute freedom of motion and expression and articulation of thought and feeling,” said the actor, who also revealed seeing the makeup helped him better understand his character.