Danny DeVito and Colin Farrell recently joined forces for a spirited conversation on Variety’s Actors on Actors, comparing notes on their shared role as one of Batman’s most iconic villains — the Penguin. DeVito memorably portrayed Oswald Cobblepot in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (1992), while Farrell took on a darker, grittier version of the character in Matt Reeves' The Batman and HBO’s upcoming series The Penguin.
As the two actors discussed their experiences behind the heavy prosthetics and elaborate costumes, DeVito couldn’t help but fondly — and humorously — recall working opposite Michelle Pfeiffer, who played Catwoman in Batman Returns. “She was a goddess,” DeVito said. “If I knew she was going to be on set that day, I’d put on extra makeup — ‘Give me another pound!’ I got all flushed. It was very difficult.”
Farrell teased him, asking if he made sure to brush his teeth when Pfeiffer was around. DeVito laughed and admitted to being completely captivated by her. “And I lusted after her. I loved her,” he said with a grin. When Farrell pushed him further, asking what form that “lust” took, DeVito replied, “It wasn’t me — it was Oswald. It was the Penguin that was lustful.”
The chemistry between the two actors made for a lively exchange. When Farrell joked about Pfeiffer possibly calling security, DeVito quipped, “I kind of feel like she liked it. She liked Oswald.”
Beyond playful reminiscing, DeVito spoke with genuine affection for the experience of working on Burton’s stylized version of Gotham. He said he would “absolutely” reprise the Penguin if Tim Burton ever called him back. “It gave you this freedom to just burst out. That operatic element — the sets, the music, the Shakespeare of it all — it was my favorite thing.”
The transformation into Oswald Cobblepot took more than three hours in the makeup chair each day, but DeVito made the most of it — by turning his trailer into a makeshift kitchen. “It was a cakewalk,” he said of the 66-day shoot. “I was cooking pasta in the afternoons, making meatballs. I was in the middle of a scene in the Penguin’s lair, and I called this guy over and said, ‘Stir the sauce.’ He had to go all the way back to the trailer to stir the tomato sauce.”
For DeVito, Batman Returns wasn’t just a role — it was a theatrical, over-the-top adventure, filled with passion, penguins, and pasta.
Source: Entertainment Weekly