Colin Farrell on The Penguin – and going incognito in public

Published

1 month ago

October 1, 2024

admin

Colin Farrell has said he went undercover in his prosthetic make-up playing Penguin in the early days of production on The Batman.

The Irish actor stars once again as the infamous DC villain Oswald Cobb in the new Sky Original series The Penguin, recreating his version of the character viewers first met in Matt Reeves’ 2022 film starring Robert Pattinson.

After three hours a day in the make-up chair, he is unrecognisable as the star best known for films including In Bruges and The Banshees Of Inisherin.

“I’m left alone most of the time anyway,” Farrell told Sky News about being out in public – but said curiosity got the better of him when he first wore the prosthetics.

“I went to Starbucks once after we did the first make-up test, about six months before the film, the original Batman film,” he said. “I got a few side glances, but not nobody had any context or reference for it. But you couldn’t notice, I mean really, up-close and personal.”

For the Oscar nominee, playing Penguin had been on his bucket list.

Previously depicted by Danny DeVito in the 1992 film Batman Returns, Farrell said he appreciated that Reeves allowed space for him to put his own stamp on the comic book character.

“I mean when I heard that Matt Reeves wanted to talk to me about playing the Penguin – honest to God, for the film, I was so tickled,” he said. “Then I read it and I was kind of pissed off because it was only five scenes.”

Referring to the film’s other villain, played by Paul Dano, Farrell joked: “I got really greedy, and I thought, who is this Riddler fella?”

However, he has now “been spoiled with this eight-hour” series.

The Penguin moves away from the animated characteristics of DeVito’s iteration and centres itself instead in a Soprano-esque environment of the criminal underworld.

The limited series opens in the aftermath of the events of the 2022 film, with Oz Cobb trying to find his way to succeed in a flooded Gotham.

‘I didn’t know who I was or what I was doing’

The 48-year-old actor said his motivations behind choosing roles have changed over the years.

“It’s probably gotten purer… In a way, you would be forgiven for thinking that it would be the other way around,” he said.

“You would start from a place of purity and then it would get a little obfuscated with money and ambition and trying to maintain the idea of a career and all that stuff that we should be deeply suspicious of. And as essential as money is… it’s probably gotten purer.”

Farrell added: “I started off in a very playful place when I was 16, acting, and then I had a lot of success really young and it was very noisy. No complaints, I was very fortunate, but it was very noisy and I didn’t quite know who I was or what I was doing or why I was doing it.”

The actor said money came flooding in but his career hit a hurdle “very dramatically”.

“I was given the opportunity through whatever grace to kind of relocate the 16-year-old’s love and curiosity for just telling stories.

“I just want to do different things – not because I want to have this varied career, I don’t have a macro look at it like that, it’s just staying in the present.”

The actor said the arts have a special ability to help people deal with emotions and sort through real-world issues.

“It’s why drama is such an extraordinary tool for young kids who might be struggling in life in their early or mid-teens, to get together and tell stories,” he said. “You get to access certain emotions.

“You could ask certain questions of a character, but you’re always asking them of yourself as well, because you are essentially the filter that every character has to be born through. It’s more fun now than ever before, which is cool.”

The first two episodes of The Penguin are available to watch on Sky and streaming service NOW, with new episodes out every Monday

Entertainment

Quincy Jones, music titan who worked with Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra, has died

Published

9 hours ago

November 4, 2024

admin

Quincy Jones, music titan who worked with Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra, has died

Quincy Jones, the music producer and composer, has died at the age of 91.

Jones worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and many other artists.

Among his best-known credits was as the producer of Jackson’s historic Thriller album.

Jones oversaw the all-star recording of the 1985 charity record We Are The World.

He also composed the soundtrack to the hit 1969 British film The Italian Job, starring Michael Caine.

His publicist, Arnold Robinson, confirmed Jones died at his Los Angeles home on Sunday surrounded by his family.

In a statement, his family said: “Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’s passing.

“And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”

His family added Jones was “truly one of a kind” who they would “miss dearly”.

“We take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created,” they added.

“Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’s heart will beat for eternity.”

His career, which spans more than 75 years, saw him achieve 28 Grammy award wins out of 80 nominations.

He was named one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century by Time magazine.

Lionel Richie, who co-wrote We Are The World and was among the charity single’s featured singers, called Jones “the master orchestrator”.

Jones, a father of seven, was married three times to Jeri Caldwell, Ulla Andersson and Peggy Lipton.

His children include music producer Quincy Jones III and actress Rashida Jones, known for Parks And Recreation and the US version of The Office.

Entertainment

Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek shares he has bowel cancer

Published

11 hours ago

November 4, 2024

admin

Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek shares he has bowel cancer

Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek has said he has been diagnosed with bowel cancer.

The 47-year-old American actor – famous for his role as Dawson Leery in the drama series – told US outlet People on Sunday that he has colorectal cancer.

Bowel cancer – sometimes also called colorectal cancer – starts in the colon or the rectum, which makes up the large intestine in the digestive system.

It is one of the most common types of cancer in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK, with around 42,900 people diagnosed each year.

Speaking to People, Van Der Beek added: “I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family.

“There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.”

He said he has been prioritising time with his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek and their six children, Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.

The actor – also known for his roles in Don’t Trust The B—- In Apartment 23, CSI: Cyber, and the FX drama Pose – also posted on Instagram about his diagnosis.

Van Der Beek said he planned on “planned on talking about it at length with People magazine at some point soon,” but instead announced the news on Sunday morning “when I was informed that a tabloid was going to run with the news”.

He then added: “I’ve been dealing with this privately until now, getting treatment and dialling in my overall health with greater focus than ever before.

“I’m in a good place and feeling strong. It’s been quite the initiation, and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready.”

In December, Van Der Beek will appear in the Fox special The Real Full Monty, which will see male celebrities strip naked to raise awareness for prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer testing and research.

Entertainment

Margot Robbie welcomes first child – reports

Published

1 day ago

November 3, 2024

admin

Margot Robbie welcomes first child - reports

Margot Robbie has reportedly given birth to her first child.

The Australian actress has welcomed a baby boy with her husband, British actor and film producer Tom Ackerley, according to People magazine.

The couple have not publicly announced the arrival or revealed the baby’s name.

The 34-year-old actress went into labour two weeks ago, shortly before her due date, according to the Mail On Sunday.

Robbie’s pregnancy became public in July, when the couple were pictured on holiday in Italy, followed by several red carpet appearances.

Robbie and Ackerley married in Byron Bay in 2016 after meeting three years previously on the set of World War II drama Suite Francaise.

Prior to becoming a couple, Robbie described herself as the “ultimate single gal” in an interview with Vogue.

She said Ackerley changed all that, and after being friends “for so long,” eventually “it happened”.

The Barbie actress went on to say their relationship “makes so much sense, the way nothing has ever made sense before”.

Robbie and Ackerley founded production company LuckyChap Entertainment in 2014, along with British assistant director Josey McNamara and Australian film producer Sophie Kerr.

Championing female-focused film and TV, it has been involved with movies including Barbie and Saltburn, and the Netflix series Maid.

Sky News has reached out to representatives for Robbie and Ackerley for comment.