Underneath 'The Penguin' prosthetics

'He's such a remorselessly cruel character,' says Colin Farrell, who plays Oz Cobb

- AMBER DOWLING

Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb in "The Penguin." Farrell said the three hours of hair and makeup required for the character enabled him to instantaneously disconnect from himself and become Oz.

Colin Farrell admits that he’s usually “doused” in insecurity, self-doubt and disdain when it comes to his acting roles, even his Oscar-nominated part in “The Banshees of Inisherin.”

But for “The Penguin,” the HBO series debuting Thursday about the comic book criminal Farrell first played in the film “The Batman,” the three hours of hair and makeup (reduced from eight pre-filming) enabled him to instantaneously disconnect from himself and become Oz “The Penguin” Cobb.

“Looking back at your reflection and it’s not what you have seen for 45 years, it’s really, really powerful,” he said in a video interview. “It’s confusing at first, but there’s a stirring inside you. It’s a little bit strange, but it’s really powerful. Just based on the writing and that makeup, you give yourself over to it.”

So powerful was the transformation that Farrell was too shy to play the character without the makeup and prosthetic suit. He performed all the read-throughs wearing a balaclava and had a dedicated Penguin trailer that only essential people could enter while applying the costume.