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Danny DeVito and Colin Farrell are among the actors who have brought the iconic Batman villain, Penguin, to life in live-action (along with Burgess Meredith, who portrayed him in the Batman TV series, and Robin Lord Taylor, who played young Oswald in Gotham).
After the finale of The Penguin, Colin Farrell received widespread praise for his portrayal of Oz and is likely to earn a Golden Globe nomination. But what does the original Penguin himself, Danny DeVito, think of Farrell’s take on the character?
In a recent interview, Danny DeVito discussed how his portrayal of Penguin differed from Colin Farrell’s, noting that while the characters were distinct, both performances were effective in their own way.
Oh, Colin’s giving me a run for my money. And it’s totally different. I’ve been watching it. I haven’t watched the whole thing, but I watched most of what was out… and you know, it’s really good.
I understand the trauma of going through, like, hours and hours of makeup, and you’re transforming yourself. It’s different with me, because wherever I go, I’m Oswald Cobblepot, you know, people could see me. You can’t hide me. You know what I mean, that kind of thing.
Colin could go anywhere he wants with that makeup and go sit in a restaurant. They wouldn’t go, ‘Hey it’s Colin Farrell, hey,’ you know, he doesn’t look anything like what he did in The Penguin. I mean, it’s hard to hide me, even with pounds of makeup as The Penguin.
But I think we both really do a substantially good job with Oswald from different angles. You know, mine had no Italian overtones of mafia or guns in that way. I was just the, you know, egomaniac trying to take over the city.
I was, you know, a misunderstood bird, a bird who cannot fly. So mine is a totally different character than in The Penguin with Colin, which is good. It’s good. Here you got a gangster penguin. It’s fine, and he’s doing a great job.
If you remember, a few months ago, Colin Farrell offered high praise for Danny DeVito:
And I love Danny [DeVito] of course, as the Penguin. I grew up watching Tim Burton’s films ,” continued Farrell. But I go back with the show as well, to Adam West and Burgess Meredith, the first Penguin I ever saw.
You know, there are so many of them, who my favorite is, I don’t know. I have a soft spot for Michael Keaton because I was like, maybe 10 or 11 or 12 when I saw that, and I was just obsessed with it, you know?
Who’s your favorite live-action Penguin actor? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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