THE BATMAN
Awkk! Awkk! The new Penguin, Colin Farrell, talks bird-based banditry.
What can you tell us about The Batman?
It’s exciting. The whole prospect is really exciting. I’m ecstatic to be a part of that universe. There are certain words that are part of my internal lexicon and those words are Gotham City, Penguin, Joker, Batman, Bruce Wayne, Harvey Dent… All of these things.
Growing up, I watched the Adam West TV show. I watched the TV show ardently when I was a child. And then in my teens, I saw Tim Burton’s version of Batman and loved it. After that, I was obviously a huge fan of what Chris Nolan did with that world. He brought it back to life and gave it a kind of immediacy and a contemporary significance. For those reasons, it’s really cool to be part of that.
What kind of villain are you going to be as the Penguin? Did you look back on previous Penguins? It was early days for me on Batman. I had only shot a few days on the film when it was pushed to the side due to the pandemic and everybody was sent home. I saw Batman Returns back in the day when it first came out first, so of course, I have seen Danny DeVito’s Penguin and loved it. The first Batman with Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger and Michael Keaton was incredible. And Danny’s Penguin was devious. It was so indelible. I remember it so clearly.
I have been watching the Batman films with my kids, but this script is something that feels incredibly original. It leans into, but it doesn’t borrow; it’s born of the mythology of that character, Bruce Wayne, Batman and Gotham. But it feels like a treatment and a version that I hadn’t seen before. Matt Reeves has done an incredible job of keeping it familiar and at the same time unique and new. It’s really exciting to be a part of it.
I haven’t worked with Robert Pattinson [Batman] yet. I haven’t worked with Zoe [Kravitz, as Catwoman]. I haven’t really worked with anyone else. I have just done a couple of little things before I was sent packing, but hopefully it gets back up and running whenever they feel that they can do it safely, with consideration for everyone’s health and safety. I don’t know when that will be, but I am looking forward to getting back to work. I am ready to get back to work now.
Did you read Batman comics when you were a kid?
I didn’t. I am sure there were some kids in my school that did, but I was more into athletics back then. Now I have read Batman Year One, which was extraordinary. The artwork is extraordinary and I exposed my kids to it a little bit. I got into that so far and we will see what I read next.
What can you tell us about the look of your version of the Penguin?
What can I tell you? Not a fucking thing. A talon will come into the frame and grab me by the back and take me out if I start talking about Batman. The creation of the aesthetic of the character has been fun. I really am so excited to get back and explore it. To be honest, I only have a certain amount of time in the film – I am not all over it by any means. It feels original and fun, but I am only at the start of the journey. I can’t wait to get back and really get into it. AT
The Batman is in cinemas 1 October 2021.