‘The Penguin's' Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti reveal the secrets behind their transformative performances (being huge Bat-fans helped)

Colin Farrell found a novel way to test-drive the makeup devised for his portrayal of the sociopathic mobster Oz Cobb: He went to Starbucks in the elaborate regalia he'd ultimately disappear into to play The Penguin's fowl felon.
"We went to a Starbucks when we did the first makeup test," Farrell revealed during an FYC panel for the HBO series, which spun off from the film The Batman, in which he initially played the role, clocking the coffee shop to gauge the reactions of his fellow customers to his foreboding, scar-pocked façade. "But nothing happened!" the actor confessed, adding that he also used the character's distinctive voice and shambling limp on the foray. "We're a bunch of starers — human beings stare if they see something different. But they just stared at their phones."
More from GoldDerby
How some Emmy categories lost and others gained nomination slots
Peter Straughan breaks down the power plays and personal tragedy in 'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light'
'House of the Dragon' director and cinematographer on the 'spontaneous creativity' of the fan-fave 'The Red Sowing'
Still, moving about unnoticed in public was a victory in and of itself given the extreme nature of Farrell's transformation — so metamorphic that it boggled even the actor's own mind. "It was just weird," he said. "Talk about a personalized uncanny valley... And it never fully lost that either. I never fully got used to looking in the mirror and seeing that image look back at me. It was a very powerful thing."
What didn't work, though, was Farrell's attempt to stay method by employing that signature waddling gait at all times. "I made the decision: 'I'm just going to walk-waddle like this the whole time,'" he explained. "And on Day 2, in between takes, it's like, 'F--k that!' Yeah, no, my hips couldn't take it, and I was a bit banjoed for a couple of months afterwards. Just was a bit."
Getting to disappear underneath Oz's craggy, bulky exterior was a long-awaited dream for the actor. "I was so overwhelmed by the beauty of the makeup, I really was," he said. "I was so overwhelmed by it. I grew up watching John Landis' 'Thriller' video, and I grew up on Planet of the Apes and Dick Smith's extraordinary job. The Thing by John Carpenter is one of my favorite films, and Rob Bottin's work on that. So the idea of practical makeup, tangible things that become so real to the viewer as they did for me, I was just so giddy by it, and I knew that we could go other places with it."
Farrell said the minute detailing in Oz's face offered him a roadmap to build the character out from. "I learned as much from looking at what Mike [Marino] designed as I did from what we usually learn our tricks from, which is the written word of the writer," he explained. "There was such a sense of history to Oz: a lonely, broken character, and obviously not to be trusted. It felt very human to me, and he does definitely have a heart, but just as dark a character as I'd ever like to explore, to be honest with you."
He also conceded that his own efforts to etch out the Penguin's prior history ultimately ran afoul of what showrunner and executive producer Lauren LeFranc was concocting for the series.
'It's just fun… Write a little prose and just give your imagination license — and then I found out the backstory when Lauren pitches the show, and it didn't match at all," he laughed. "But I could hold on to a couple of little events that took place when Oz was 16 and 24 and some bare-knuckle fights and being in a lane way one day and getting opened by a bottle and stuff. It's a lot of trauma on his face, a lot of trauma in his physicality as well as a child, to have such blatantly obvious physical impedance in your life as we know what kids are like. [Oz] would've grown up around a lot more cruelty than we had the time or the inclination to get into in the show. But that was all there: a very damaged character."
Farrell considers finding the sweet spot where the writing, his performance, and the makeup artistry merged as one of the most significant moments of his long career. 'I've had extraordinary days over 25 years of being an actor, but it was one of the most extraordinarily exciting days, the idea of entering Gotham," he said. "I grew up watching Burgess Meredith. I grew up watching Danny DeVito, and the idea that I was going to get to play the Penguin!"
HBO
Farrell's fandom for the Dark Knight's extensive filmography was matched by that of co-star Cristin Milioti, who played the tormented Sofia Gigante, the sheltered then abandoned scion of the mob family who craves vengeance. Joining Farrell, fellow cast members Rhenzy Feliz and Deirdre O'Connell and LeFranc and executive producer Dylan Clark for the panel at the Paramount Theatre on the fabled Paramount Pictures Studios lot, Milioti revealed her Bat-fangirl bona fides.
"I've been such a huge fan of this universe forever," the actress enthused. "Every iteration of Batman — even Batman Forever. I mean, Batman Returns was the first one I saw, and then I made my dad take me to see Batman Forever — five times... I love this universe. I think you're able to do these grounded things. Obviously some of the versions go to very heightened, campy places, but still, even those versions I would find devastating because they're all about loneliness and hurt. All of them. Even when you're even Batman, all of them."
Milioti was eager to throw herself into the role. "Before we started shooting, I had hours of conversations that Lauren was very sweet to entertain and take my call each time, and then I got to read the first four [episodes]," she said, indicating the big reveal behind Sofia's history. "So I knew about [the fourth episode] when we were going in, and that was my bible for everything."
That time-spanning fourth episode also had a truncated production timeline, requiring Milioti to play Sofia in different eras of her life in a single day. "I would be her 10 years apart," she noted, "but also the sort of chaos of it can sort of sweep you along. Some days it's frustrating, but for the most part you just feel like you're on this roller coaster and I really deeply, deeply loved it."
And like Farrell, she found herself adopting a signature style of walking when costumed in Sofia's final look, with wild hair, warpaint makeup, vampish red-draped gown and stiletto heels. "If you wear that, there's a certain way you've got to walk," she laughed. "Put that on and light three cigarettes, I dare you, and try not to feel great."
Best of GoldDerby
Tina Fey on 'The Four Seasons': 'It was a challenge to be restrained about where we put jokes'
'The best job I ever had': 'From 'Supernatural' to 'The Boys,' Eric Kripke talks his biggest hits — and miss (ahem, 'Tarzan')
'Cross' star Aldis Hodge on building an aspirational hero — who's not a superhero
Click here to read the full article.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Forbes

3 hours ago

• Forbes

Vampire Thriller ‘Sinners' Gets HBO Max Streaming Premiere Date

Partial movie poster for "Sinners." Sinners — director Ryan Coogler's hit horror thriller starring Michael B. Jordan — is coming soon to streaming on HBO Max. Rated R, Sinners opens in theaters on April 18 and debuted on digital streaming via premium video on demand on June 3. The official logline for Sinners reads, 'Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.' Jordan stars as the twin brothers, Smoke and Stack. Now,just over a month after the film made its PVOD debut, Sinners will be coming to streaming on HBO Max. Warner Bros. Discovery announced Friday that Sinners would arrive on HBO Max on Friday, July 4. The film will then debut on HBO linear on Saturday, July 5, at 8 p.m. ET. For viewers who don't subscribe to Max, the streaming service offers an ad-based package for $9.99 per month, an ad-free package for $16.99 per month and an ad-free package with 4K Ultra HD Programming for $20.99 per month. Sinners' quick arrival on the streaming service isn't a complete surprise. The Warner Bros. Discovery streaming platform fast-tracked the release of A Minecraft Movie to the HBO Max five weeks after its debut on May 13. A Minecraft Movie is new on the streaming service Friday. 'Sinners' Was A Major Hit At The Box Office Sinners is still playing in theaters and will remain in 536 venues this weekend. To date, the film has earned $276.4 million domestically and $85.4 million internationally for a worldwide box office tally of $361.9 million against a $90 production budget before prints and advertising costs, according to The Numbers. Sinners also quickly became a big hit on PVOD, as it quickly staked out the No. 1 spot on many digital purchase charts in its first week of release. The film will also be released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, July 8. Like those who purchased a digital copy of the film, the 4K and Blu-ray versions of Sinners will also contain bonus material including four production featurettes. Sinners was also a big hit with Rotten Tomatoes critics, who collectively gave the film a 97% 'fresh' rating based on 375 reviews. The film also received a 96% 'fresh' Popcornmeter score on RT, based on 25,000-plus verified user ratings. Also starring Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O'Connell, Wumni Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller and Delroy Lindo, Sinners will arrive on HBO Max on July 4 and HBO linear on July 5 at 8 p.m. ET.

Yahoo

4 hours ago

• Yahoo

‘The Gilded Age,' ‘A Minecraft Movie,' Haim's ‘I Quit,' and the best to stream this weekend: June 20, 2025

Welcome to , your VIP guide to the best of pop culture for the weekend ahead, curated by the Gold Derby team of experts. (June 20-June 22) It has been more than a year and a half since The Gilded Age did the impossible and made us all care about competing opera houses. Now, the Emmy-winning HBO drama from creator Julian Fellowes is back for what might be its best outing yet. More from GoldDerby Jason Isaacs spills all the tea, a reappraisal of Britney Spears, and what to read this weekend: June 20, 2025 'Arcane,' returning from a 3-year hiatus, leads early Best Animated Program Emmy odds The 10 most Lynchian items at the David Lynch auction - and how much they sold for In Season 3 (premiering Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max), having won the battle for the Met, Bertha (Emmy nominee Carrie Coon) is poised to take over as the head of New York society while George (Morgan Spector) heads out west with the hopes of expanding his railroads to the California coast, a gambit that could revolutionize the industry and change the map forever. But those are not the only new happenings this season. Across the street, Ada (Emmy winner Cynthia Nixon) is now the lady of the Brook house following her marriage to the secretly wealthy Rev. Forte, a development Agnes (fellow Emmy winner Christine Baranski) struggles to accept despite the fact it's her sister's new fortune that has allowed them to keep their home. And it's a good thing they did, because Marian (Louisa Jacobson) and Larry's (Harry Richardson) sweet budding romance definitely benefits from close proximity. As ambitions skyrocket, new relationships blossom, and the future is seemingly on the doorstep, the third season of The Gilded Age is the awards contender to watch this weekend. And if opera isn't your jam, there are plenty of other options are available. Other prestige picks include: The Waterfront: Kevin Williamson's latest series returns to Wilmington, North Carolina, the filming location for his groundbreaking show Dawson's Creek, to tackle a new story. Inspired by true events, the family drama follows the Buckleys, a family who has ruled the town of Havenport for decades thanks to their fishing empire. But things aren't what they once were, and as matriarch Belle (Maria Bello) and adult son Cane (Jake Weary) attempt to keep the family business afloat while Harlan (Holt McCallany), the gruff family patriarch, recovers from two heart attacks, their shortsighted plans quickly spiral out of control. All eight episodes are now streaming on Netflix. The Buccaneers: The long-awaited sophomore season of Apple TV+'s period drama is here at last. Based on an unfinished Edith Wharton novel, the show follows a group of young American women who have entered London high society in the 1870s and made it their own. Following her marriage to Theo (Guy Remmers), Nan (Kristine Frøseth) is now the Duchess of Tintagel and wields immense power, while Conchita (Alisha Boe) as Lady Brightlingsea has become a heroine to a new wave of American heiresses. But while the culture clash that dominated Season 1 is no longer the show's focus, there is still plenty of drama to be had, as the women continue to grow up and experience life's many changes. The Season 2 premiere is now streaming on Apple TV+. Surviving Ohio State: And now for something much more grim. HBO's new documentary tells the horrific story of the victims of Dr. Richard Strauss, a physician at the Ohio State University who used his position and power to sexually abuse male student-athletes for two decades, and the ongoing fight to hold the school accountable. The nearly two-hour doc is based on Jon Wertheim's Sports Illustrated article "Why Aren't More People Talking About the Ohio State Sex Abuse Scandal," and expands upon the original 2018 reporting that exposed the scandal. It is now streaming on Max. Our top pick this week, video game adaptation A Minecraft Movie, is unlikely to win any Academy Awards, but it's probably going to dominate at the Kids' Choice Awards on Saturday. Kids simply love this movie. They love Minecraft, they love Jack Black, and they love memes, especially participatory ones that annoy older people — and the movie's 'Chicken Jockey' is the defining one of the year. It may not be funny to you, but Warner Bros. is laughing all the way to the bank with nearly a billion dollars in box office gross. Black stars alongside Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Sebastian Hansen. The latter four play people who get sucked into the cube-based alternate dimension known as the Overworld, where Steve (Black) has been trapped for years. Together, they team up to stop the evil piglin Malgosha (that's 'pig goblin,' for the uninformed) from taking over the Overworld and try to escape back to the human world. If you haven't seen any footage, be forewarned: there are way more cubes than you're expecting. You've never seen a movie where everything on screen is the same shape before. It's now streaming on Max. If you do not yearn for the mines, here are some other new movies to watch on subscription streaming platforms or VOD this weekend: : The Hit Broadway Musical: Disney+'s latest filmed stage production is the theatrical adaptation of the hit animated movie from 2013. Frozen tells the story of princess sisters Elsa (Samantha Barks) and Anna (Laura Dawkes). Elsa, the older sister, is powerful but temperamental, while Anna is ordinary but reliable. When Elsa ascends to the throne, she runs away rather than face her responsibilities, plunging the kingdom into permanent winter. So Anna sets off on a journey to find her, saving the kingdom and discovering her own power along the way. The stage version has 12 new songs, plus the favorites from the movie, including the show-stopper 'Let It Go.' A note for the pedants in the crowd: While Frozen did run on Broadway from 2018 to 2020, this film is actually the West End production, which ran from 2021 to 2024. : Eiza Gonzalez and Aaron Paul star in this sci-fi head-trip from director Flying Lotus, who also composed the score (he's perhaps best known as an electronic musician, but he's starting to enter Rob Zombie territory as a musician-turned-distinctive horror filmmaker). Gonzalez plays Riya, an astronaut who wakes up on a ship with no memory of how she got there. All the other crew members are dead. The only living person is Brion (Paul), who says he has come to rescue her after receiving a distress call. She doesn't know if she can trust him, and as her memories start to come back, she isn't even sure if she can trust herself. It's a worthy entry to the space horror canon that's now streaming on Shudder. : There are some fun mash-ups happening in this Sony-produced Netflix Original animated musical action comedy. It follows a K-pop girl group called Huntrix who moonlight as slayers protecting their fans from evil, soul-stealing supernatural forces. When a boy band whose members are all demons in disguise becomes popular, the members of Huntrix — Rumi (voiced by Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) — have to battle them. It's an anime-influenced madcap adventure, with a lead single performed by Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung of the popular K-pop group Twice. : These days, there aren't a lot of theatrically released comedy movies whose primary goal is to make you laugh so hard you shoot Diet Coke out of your nose, but Friendship is a special movie. Tim Robinson stars as Craig, a socially maladjusted man who strikes up a friendship with his new neighbor, a charismatic weatherman named Austin (Paul Rudd). But Craig takes things too far, and his obsession with maintaining the friendship threatens to ruin both of their lives. It's the psychological, A24 version of a 2000s bromance comedy. Robinson is a one-of-a-kind comedic talent, but if you're unfamiliar with his voice, Friendship might not be the best introduction. It's a little dark and cringey. Watch his Netflix sketch show I Think You Should Leave first, then watch Friendship — now available to buy on VOD platforms like Amazon — and marvel at how writer-director Andrew DeYoung created the perfect vehicle for Robinson's unique abilities. Timed to the release of their fourth album, I Quit, the trio of sisters from the Valley have released the video for "All Over Me," which features Will Poulter, Nabhaan Rizwan, and Archie Madekwe. Rock band Wednesday has debuted "Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)," the second song off of their upcoming album, Bleeds, which is set for release on Sept. 19. Best of GoldDerby Everything to know about 'The Pitt' Season 2 Adam Brody, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actor interviews Kristen Bell, Tina Fey, Bridget Everett, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actress interviews Click here to read the full article.

USA Today

7 hours ago

• USA Today

'Sinners' coming to Max. Here's when it will release

The box office success and pop culture phenomenon "Sinners" is set to make its exclusive streaming debut on Max in a couple of weeks. The Ryan Coogler-directed film features Michael B. Jordan in a double role. Coogler's vampire horror film follows twins Smoke and Stack after they return to their small town in Mississippi from Chicago to start a juke joint in the 1930s. "Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back," the film's synopsis reads. Here is how you will be able to watch "Sinners" on Max from the comfort of your own home. When will 'Sinners' be available to stream on Max? "Sinners" will be available to stream globally on Max on July 4, Warner Bros. said in a news release. Apart from having a debut on the streaming platform, the movie is also set to debut on HBO on July 5 at 8 p.m. ET. How can I subscribe to Max? Max subscription plans begin at $9.99 a month with ads, while ad-free subscriptions cost $16.99 a month. The highest tier, which is $20.99 a month, includes the ability to stream on four devices and offers 4K Ultra HD video quality and 100 downloads. HBO also offers bundles with Hulu and Disney+. When does 'Sinners' come out on 4K Blu-ray/DVD? "Sinners" will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD at online and physical retailers on July 8. Warner Bros. said the digital, 4K UHD and Blu-ray version of the movie will offer special features such as the making of the movie, the creation of the characters and their costumes and deleted scenes, among others. 'Sinners' cast The cast of "Sinners" includes: Watch 'Sinners' trailer Contributing: Saman Shafiq and Brian Truitt, USA TODAY Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at and follow him on X @fern_cerv_. Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you make a purchase through our links, we may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.