Colin Farrell Absolutely Hates His Prosthetics in The Penguin

Colin Farrell is thinking twice before signing up to play The Penguin again.

The actor, who plays Batman’s nemesis in upcoming HBO series The Penguin , said he’s not jumping at the chance to reprise the role for one key reason: countless hours in the makeup chair.

"I don’t know, man," he tells GamesRadar+ . "Don't get me wrong – I loved it – but it got in on me a little bit. By the end of it, I was moaning to anyone who would listen to me that I wanted it to be finished. I tried to remind them that I had 'grumpy gratitude.' I was still grateful, and still honored.”

Farrell is keen not to completely write off a role reprisal, however. He just needs time away from the character. "[ The Penguin producer/writer] Lauren said, 'Look, if I could find a way that makes sense, would you talk about it?' And I said, 'Absolutely.' And maybe in a year I would. But when I finished I was like, 'I never want to put that suit and that head on again.'"

Farrell turned heads when he first played The Penguin in 2021’s The Batman , with few people releasing it was him under the bodysuit and scarred face. He won’t reunite with Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader in the HBO series, but could play him again in The Batman: Part 2 , which is slated for a 2026 release.

The Penguin premiers September 19 on HBO in the US, and September 20 on Sky and NOW in the UK.

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