Colin Farrell talked about his difficulties playing Batman character The Penguin and admitted he is shallow and insecure during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show.
The 32nd series of the hit BBC talk show returns on Friday night with Colin sharing the red sofa with Lady Gaga, Demi Moore, and musicians Jack Savoretti and Miles Kane.
A regular on the show, Irish actor Colin, 48, quickly got comfortable and told host Graham, 61, all about his experiences filming Batman spin-off The Penguin, in which he plays the titular villain.
Colin said: ‘In the end I was a bit miserable and angry. I remembered how much Jim Carrey hated The Grinch makeup and whilst I didn’t get to that level, I did struggle especially as the subject matter was so dark.’
He added: ‘It is a huge relief now that it is out and people think it is all right. If you are shallow and insecure like me, you are expecting a slap in the face so a rub on the back is definitely preferable!’
Colin Farrell talked about his difficulties playing Batman character The Penguin (right) and admitted he is shallow and insecure during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show
Colin sported a fat suit, facial disfigurations, and a balding head of hair for the role – a far cry from his trim, luscious-haired self.
DC Studios miniseries The Penguin follows criminal Oswald ‘Oz’ Cobb / The Penguin, former chief lieutenant of deceased crime boss Carmine Falcone who is on the rise to becoming a criminal kingpin in his own right.
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Colin Farrell may not return for The Penguin if the show is renewed
The Penguin is a spin-off of the 2022 film The Batman which starred Robert Pattison as the titular hero.
Colin’s Penguin originated in this film, but was portrayed by Danny DeVito.
The Batman is an origin story so Penguin is not yet the crime kingpin he is depicted to be in the comics, likewise Batman is not yet an experienced crime fighter.
Matt Reeves, the film’s director, compared the character of Penguin to Fredo Corleone (John Cazale) from The Godfather (1972), due to ‘the insignificance that he lives within, in a family that is full of very strong, very bright, very capable, very violent men’.
As well as Colin, the series stars How I Met Your Mother’s Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, the daughter of Carmine, Penguin’s boss.
The Penguin was first announced back in 2021 and is set one week after the events of The Batman.
The series debuted on the Max streaming serving on September 19 in the States and UK viewers can watch it on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
Colin Farrell talked about his difficulties playing Batman character The Penguin (right) and admitted he is shallow and insecure during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show
Colin said: ‘In the end I was a bit miserable and angry. I remembered how much Jim Carrey hated The Grinch makeup… I did struggle especially as the subject matter was so dark’ (pictured during filming in March 2023)
Also on Friday’s episode, Lady Gaga came dressed in character: she plays the Harley Quinn to Joaquin Phoenix’s The Joker in upcoming musical film Joker: Folie à Deux
She formed an immediate connection with Demi Moore’s dog micro chihuahua Pilaf – who, as well as Demi, was making her Graham Norton debut – and accepted a kiss from her
Comedian Richard Ayoade was there to promote his hilarious new fiction book The Unfinished Harauld Hughes
All were later treated to a performance by English-Italian acoustic singer Jack Savoretti (right) featuring Wirral’s Miles
Also on Friday’s episode of The Graham Norton Show, Lady Gaga came dressed in character: she plays the Harley Quinn to Joaquin Phoenix’s The Joker in upcoming musical film Joker: Folie à Deux.
She formed an immediate connection with Demi’s dog micro chihuahua Pilaf – who, as well as Demi, was making her Graham Norton debut – and accepted a kiss from her.
Comedian Richard was there to promote his new fiction book The Unfinished Harauld Hughes.
All were later treated to a performance by English-Italian acoustic singer Jack featuring Wirral’s Miles.
The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One, Friday September 27 at 10.40pm. Also available on BBC iPlayer.