‘I never want to put that ****ing suit on again’: Colin Farrel doesn’t sound too keen on more of his new show!

Fans were left in awe when they first saw Colin Farrell don the getup of Penguin for Matt Reeves’ The Batman, and the excitement has only increased with the imminent arrival of HBO show The Penguin, which will take the Gotham antagonist’s story forward.

However, it looks like Farrell’s performance has come at the cost of the actor being on the verge of a breakdown, as the actor recently pointed out his frustration with the fat suit in a not-so-polite manner. Ahead of the show’s debut, Farrell spoke to Total Film Magazine, highlighting the discomfort the get up caused:

“Don’t get me wrong – I loved it – but it got in on me a little bit. By the end of it, I was bitching and moaning to anyone who would listen to me that I fucking wanted it to be finished. I tried to remind them that I had ‘grumpy gratitude.”

Colin Farrell/Total Film Magazine

Farrell continued, speaking about his reaction to showrunner Lauren LeFranc’s offer to return for a second season:

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 fucking suit and that fucking head on again.”

Colin Farrell/Total Film Magazine

Farrell will have to don the suit again for The Batman sequel, which is expected to arrive in October 2026. Farrell will play a heftier role in the followup compared to the original, and the film is going to be a continuation of the events of The Penguin, which highlights the importance of the show in the ongoing Batman series of films. The show debuts on September 19 on streaming service Max, with its eighth and final episode releasing on November 10.

The show was commissioned in March 2022, with Reeves joining as a writing supervisor. Filming began a year later but was halted because of the Hollywood labor union strikes, which led to production eventually concluding in February 2024. The show takes place a week after the events of The Batman and is centered around the struggle for power among the various factions in the Gotham underworld after Carmine Falcone’s death.

Farrell is joined by a talented cast, which includes TV regular Cristin Milioti playing Falcone’s daughter Sofia Falcone, and Rhenzy Feliz portraying the role of Victor Aguilar, Oswald Cobblepot’s young driver and confidante. Early reviews are showering praise upon the show, with Milioti’s performance being singled out.