The HBO series “The Penguin,” a spinoff of Matt Reeves’ 2022 film “The Batman,” invites viewers into Gotham City’s dark and gritty underworld. The show diverges from the glossy portrayals common in comic-book adaptations, aiming instead for authenticity, particularly in the characterization of Oz Cobb, played by Colin Farrell. This commitment to realism extends to the character’s prosthetic makeup. While the facial prosthetics render Farrell almost unrecognizable, the series also incorporates extensive prosthetics for other body parts when necessary.
In the premiere episode, a tense scene unfolds where Cobb is tortured by Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) and her henchman. The interrogation, motivated by Sofia’s vengeance for her brother Alberto’s death, is intensified by Cobb being fully naked. Although the audience gets only a partial view of his body, comprehensive efforts were made to transform Farrell entirely into the character.
Farrell explained in an interview with Variety that the series’ prosthetics designer, Michael Marino, who also crafted the face and body additions for his role, created an “anatomically correct” appliance for him to wear. Farrell described the prosthetic as a source of “surreal discomfort,” noting that despite being fully covered, he felt extremely vulnerable and even used a towel between takes to counter the feeling.
He elaborated on the psychological impact of wearing such detailed prosthetics, stating, “That was kind of the strange psychological no man’s land that you could find yourself in when you’re the canvas to something as powerful as the makeup designed for it. I felt incredibly exposed, even though I was anything but. I was totally covered, but I was covered by a naked man. And it’s not like I thought I was him, but it had a very strange effect on my ego.”
“The Penguin” consists of eight episodes, with new episodes airing on Sundays on HBO and Max. The cast includes Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz (as Victor Aguilar), Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti), Shohreh Aghdashloo (Nadia Maroni), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), Clancy Brown (Salvatore Maroni), James Madio (Milos Grapa), Scott Cohen (Luca Falcone), Michael Zegen (Alberto Falcone), Carmen Ejogo (Eve Karlo), and Theo Rossi (Dr. Julian Rush). The series is developed by showrunner Lauren LeFranc.
