Colin Farrellis utterly unrecognizable in his role of Oz Cobb in the new HBO limited seriesThe Penguin.
“I had a bodysuit, so I was basically covered wrist to ankle. Only things that were me were my hands and feet,” the actor, 48, tells PEOPLE. “Everything else, including ears, were pieces. Everything was covered.”
Colin Farrell in ‘The Penguin’.Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Colin Farrell and son Henry at ‘The Penguin’ premiere.RCF / SplashNews
RCF / SplashNews
One scene in particular called for his character to appear to be naked. “Marino is so twisted and brilliant. He was like, ‘I made you a penguin penis,'” Farrell recalls with a grin. “I said, ‘Really? They’re not even going to see it. I don’t know if I want to walk on set with a penguin penis.’ And he was like, ‘No, no, no, dude. It’s detachable, it’s Velcro. It’s got a beak at the end of it.’ So I had a penguin penis.”
In fact, the biggest piece of the bodysuit was actually around Farrell’s shoulders and back. “That was kind of the anchor and it came up to the chin,” he explains. “And then the bodysuit would go under it. They were nice enough to give me a hump as well.”
Colin Farrell in ‘The Penguin’.Macall Polay/Max
Macall Polay/Max
When the actor first saw himself in the mirror, “I couldn’t believe it, yeah. I’d never done anything like it,” he says. “You’re moving your face and seeing what happens. I knew expressions manifested a particular way through the mask and how beautifully it was designed, so I just went for it.”
The limited 8-episodeseries was orderedin March 2022, almost immediately after theRobert Pattinson-led take on the superhero was released in theaters.
Colin Farrell in ‘The Penguin’.Courtesy of Max
Courtesy of Max
AlthoughPattinson’s Batman will not be in the show, the series starsCristin Milioti,Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, Clancy Brown andMichael Zegen. It picks up right after the events ofThe Batman, and shows how Oz tries to take a leadership role in the Gotham City underworld.
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The Penguinpremieres on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 9 p.m. on HBO and Max.
source: people.com