Colin Farrell decided to test the effectiveness of his dramatic physical transformation for the role of Oswald “Oz” Cobb in “The Penguin” by venturing into a public space — specifically, a Starbucks. “During our initial makeup test, we headed to Starbucks,” Farrell shared at a For Your Consideration (FYC) event for the HBO limited series. Under heavy prosthetics that altered his facial skin texture and structure, along with a padded costume, he was completely unrecognizable. He even ordered his coffee using Oz’s distinct New York accent and mimicked his character’s limp.
Farrell was surprised by the lack of public reaction: “Nothing happened. I thought people might stare a bit more. It seems we’re all starers,” he commented. The actor was also struck by his own reaction the first time he saw himself fully transformed with makeup by prosthetics designer Mike Marino for “The Batman.” He likened his astonishment to a cat seeing its reflection for the first time in a mirror, admitting, “I never fully got used to seeing that image in the mirror.”
The transformation first took place on the Warner Bros lot, a day Farrell recalls as one of the most thrilling of his 25-year acting career.
The FYC event took place on a recent Sunday at the Paramount lot, featuring two Q&A panels that sandwiched a screening of the series finale. The first panel highlighted the behind-the-scenes crew, including Marino, showrunner Lauren LeFranc, production designer Kalina Ivanov, directors Craig Zobel and Helen Shaver, VFX Supervisor Johnny Han, and cinematographer Jonathan Freeman. The second panel focused on the actors, including Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, and Deidre O’Connell, along with LeFranc and executive producer Dylan Clark. Attendees were treated to New York-themed treats such as Nathan’s hot dogs, Reuben sandwiches, and cannoli.
During the event, Farrell discussed the tragic backstory of his character Oz, revealing a childhood incident where he inadvertently caused his brothers’ deaths by locking them in a sewer during a storm. Farrell attempted to rationalize Oz’s actions, suggesting he didn’t understand the danger, “He’s not an architectural engineer. I don’t think he knew the water was going to rise.”
Despite his rationalizations, Farrell admitted, “Yeah, I’m still trying to justify him. There’s no doubt his brothers are no longer in the world because of what he did. But he was just a really complex character.”
The series finale, in which Oz kills his young protégé Vic (played by Feliz) after realizing that any emotional attachment makes him vulnerable, also sparked discussions. Feliz humorously noted the public’s reaction to his character’s death, “Yeah, I saw the tweets. People were upset.” To which O’Connell humorously added, “But he’s not an architectural engineer!” Farrell acknowledged the inevitability of Vic’s death, “I knew how that one was gonna work out.”
Feliz expressed relief that his character’s death evoked strong reactions, initially fearing that the audience might find Vic boring. Farrell reassured him, emphasizing how Vic’s character highlighted the depth of Oz’s villainy and that the audience deeply cared about him, describing Vic as the moral center of the series.
Reflecting on the filming of that pivotal scene, Farrell shared his emotional turmoil, “When I saw it, I was like, ‘Oh God, is that a bridge too far?’ I was in an awful funk on set that night.” LeFranc added, “Everyone loved Victor. Our whole crew… we were all tearing up and we were all horrified. It’s so painful and the two of them that night were so exceptional in that scene because it’s actually a lovely moment before Oz does what he does.”
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