Colin Farrell was curious about how effective his physical transformation was in portraying Oswald “Oz” Cobb in “The Penguin,” so he ventured out in public—specifically, to Starbucks.
“We visited a Starbucks during the initial makeup test,” Farrell shared at a recent HBO event for the series. With prosthetics altering his facial features and a padded suit, he became nearly unrecognizable. He even placed his order using Oz’s thick New York accent and moved with a distinct limp.
“Nothing really happened,” he admitted. “I expected people to stare more. We usually do.”
Farrell recounted that the first time he saw himself in complete makeup, designed by Mike Marino for “The Batman,” he was mesmerized. “It was like watching a cat see its reflection for the first time,” he remarked. “I never quite got used to that reflection in the mirror.”
He vividly remembers that initial makeup test on the Warner Bros lot. “Throughout my 25 years as an actor, I’ve had many extraordinary days, but that one was genuinely thrilling,” he recalled.
This FYC event, taking place last Sunday at the Paramount lot, included two Q&A panels before a screening of the series finale. The first panel focused on behind-the-scenes talent, featuring Marino, showrunner Lauren LeFranc, production designer Kalina Ivanov, director Craig Zobel, director Helen Shaver, VFX Supervisor Johnny Han, and cinematographer Jonathan Freeman. The second panel featured cast members, including Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, and Deidre O’Connell, along with LeFranc and producer Dylan Clark. Attendees enjoyed New York-inspired food, including Nathan’s hot dogs and cannoli.
(Spoilers ahead!) Farrell addressed the traumatic events that shaped Oz’s character, particularly how he inadvertently caused his brothers’ drowning when he left them locked in a sewer during a storm. “He didn’t intend for that to happen,” Farrell explained. “He wasn’t really equipped to understand such consequences.”
