After all, the Gotham City depicted in “Penguin” is a darker, more violent place than what fans saw in “Batman,” and that was by design.
The HBO series picks up shortly after the events of Matt Reeves’ 2022 film, and things couldn’t get any worse for the city. Much of the sequel is still flowing from The Riddler (Paul Dano) flooding parts of the city, and the underworld is struggling to fill the power vacuum left by the death of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). Things don’t seem clear-cut.
“Batman” managed to show many of Gotham’s violent and corrupt corners, but still avoided a PG-13 rating. Colin Farrell said that even he felt that way sometimes.
“I had trouble putting cigarettes in the movie,” Farrell told TheWrap. “I got to the point where I was like, ‘Can I have an unlit cigarette in my hand?’ And they were like, ‘No.’”
“Penguin” represented a completely different animal. Being on HBO meant they could get darker, more brutal and more violent as they delved deeper into the world of one of Batman’s most recognizable villains: Oz Cobb. The prospect of this is what convinced Farrell to continue the series.
“It seemed like it was a top-down, bottom-up decision, and everyone agreed that we have an opportunity now,” he said. “We weren’t talking about the theater or the box office. We’re talking about the home box office, HBO. We’re talking about a mature audience and parents who can decide what’s right for their younger family members.
Pharrell continued: “If we go into this guy’s life, it’s going to be violent, very dark. The psychology of the character would be disturbing, and that made it delicious.”
Most of the early Batman headlines had less to do with Robert Pattinson in the lead role and more to do with Farrell’s inexplicable transformation into Oz via prosthetic makeup. In the movie, Pharrell was just a supporting actor in the film. Now, he’s the lead and still requires hours in the makeup chair before shooting. That meant there were problems.
Craig Zobel, who serves as executive producer on the show and directed the first three episodes, said it was a “common” thought while working on the show.
“That was, in a way, one of the challenges that made me say yes to the project,” he said. “It made me think, ‘How do you do that? It seems impossible not to be incredibly busy for four hours a day. ’”
It turned out that despite Farrell’s long hours in the chair, it was possible. The schedule also meant that Mike Marino, the prosthetic makeup designer who directed the Penguin’s look in “Batman,” had a chance to spice things up. He also wanted to show Oz’s changing psychology in perspective over time.
“(W)e were trying to improve some areas that I think needed improvement, like the edge or the brow or something like that,” Marino said. “I think the mental progression, how it changes a little bit, as he gets more powerful, as he gets crazier, I think his physicality adapts as he progresses and progresses.”
One area they focused on from the start was Oz’s feet. This is the wound that gives the Penguin his signature waddle, so the look had to be perfect. Of course, Marino figured this out while Farrell was wearing other makeup.
“I was sculpting like 20 minutes ago. (Colin) came in, a leg I thought was crazy,” Marino recalled. “He sat on the bench and I was working in the corner and I showed it to him and I said, ‘What do you think of this?’
Farrell added that it’s a testament to Lofi’s work that it not only enhances the look of Oz, but the entire show.
“He was a wonderful man and that’s how he gets down,” she said. “I was sitting in the trailer, he was rubbing my chin and hair in the makeup chair and I saw him in the back and he had a toothpick or whatever and a lump of clay.”
Pharrell added: “It’s very literal, and yet it’s genius. It’s real practical art, as imagined by artists. It’s not to deny the advent of technology and its advantages, and in all kinds of experiences, but the handmade decor that this guy designs . . . and implements, what Dick Smith did, Rick Baker, all these geniuses. I just hope that all filmmakers use practical stuff on camera.”
“The Penguin” premieres Thursday, September 19 on HBO.
