Collin Farrell‘s physical transformation into the Penguin in The Batman has many fans wondering if he gained weight for the role.
Though Farrell only appears in half a dozen scenes, his jaw-dropping appearance as a stout, balding, middle-aged villain has been piquing the curiosity of moviegoers since the DC film’s release on March 4.
Did Colin Farrell put on physical weight to play Penguin?
While many actors have famously undergone weight changes for film roles, Farrell took a different approach to The Penguin role.
Per Collider, Farrell spoke at length about the process of creating The Penguin on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. In the interview, the Irish star says that his health was the deciding factor in his choice not to gain weight to play his character in the Matt Reeves blockbuster.
Instead, he wore a custom-made fatsuit designed by makeup artist Mike Marino, whose work he praised:
“Mike Marino is a genius. He’s an absolute and veritable genius. And that word gets thrown out a lot, but he is a drawing, sculpting, shaping genius. And he created this visage for the Penguin.”
And so Farrell’s scene-stealing physical transformation in The Batman is the result of movie magic!
Has Colin Farrell ever gained weight for a role?
Farrell had already gained weight for a role in the television series The North Water, and the weight changes he underwent had a small but adverse impact on his health. For this reason, he was reluctant to gain even more weight to play Penguin.
He took up the matter with the production team, discussing his concerns with Reeves and Marino. Together, they decided that a fatsuit was the best option:
“I mean he and Matt talked about what physically the character stature would be, and I had been quite big for The North Water and I didn’t want to naturally go big again cause I had a few little health things as a result of The North Water and I was just like, f-ck, this acting thing ain’t this important. I know the top actors that go up and down, and God bless them, I wish them good health. But for me, I think The North Water is the last time I’ll go up that much. So, we decided on a fat suit.”
Farrell did not get into specifics about how his weight gain for his role in The North Water adversely affected his health. However, the use of Marino’s customized fatsuit helped put him at ease about any concerns he might have had. With that out of the way, he was able to focus on his performance.
Farrell was so impressed with the physical transformation created with Marino and the makeup team that he felt almost as if it was not him on-screen. He explains:
“I’m only in it for five or six scenes, so I can’t wait to see the film because it won’t be ruined by my presence. Really, it’s a freebie to me. I’ll get a little bit uncomfortable for the f-ing nine minutes I have, and then the rest of it, I cannot wait to see how he [Reeves] brought this world to life!”
Farrell has inked a deal to reprise the role of Penguin for an upcoming series on HBO Max, which will be part of Reeves’ so-called Batverse.
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