Colin Farrell and Makeup Designer Mike Marino Toast ‘The Penguin’ — and Push Back Against AI | rssama.com

It’s not each time you get to bring your vigilante artistry to Gotham City. That joyous privilege and nan powerfulness of applicable effects was apical of mind for “The Penguin” prima Colin Farrell and constitution designer Mike Marino, accepting nan 2025 IndieWire Honors Wavelength grant for their striking business successful HBO’s gritty superhero spinoff.

“We were 2 large kids successful a really immense sandbox,” said Farrell astatine nan Los Angeles arena connected June 5. “Both of america grew up watching genre films. I grew up watching Danny DeVito. Well, I cognize I haven’t afloat grown up. I deliberation we’ve established that. And we spell to spell to activity each time and play successful nan sandbox. It was specified a joyousness [and] nightmare Mike Marino‘s canvas.”

“It intends a batch to beryllium recognized for thing that was done wholly by quality hands,” said Marino. “Just clay, glue, rubber, inspiration, and nan volition to create thing special. There was nary AI progressive here. No shortcuts, conscionable time, thought, and trust. Colin Farrell was afloat committed.”

Academy Award nominee Farrell reflected connected his acquisition increasing up “enthralled” by Burgess Meredith’s capacity arsenic The Penguin. He besides shared nan fearfulness he felt taking connected nan domiciled astatine first.

“Matt Reeves wrote nan movie ‘The Batman,’ and I was fortunate capable to get nan domiciled of The Penguin successful that. Then, Lauren LeFranc wrote this show, but it was only erstwhile I saw Mike’s creation of nan visage of Oz Cobb that I couldn’t time off it. Before that I was struggling to deliberation of what I could bring to nan project. I was going, ‘I’m conscionable going to beryllium level arsenic fuck and it’s going to beryllium terrible.'”

But looking astatine Marino’s creation for nan first time, Farrell said, “I couldn’t judge it. I benignant of sewage affectional because arsenic I said, I’m 49 going connected 10 sometimes and I conscionable sewage truthful giddy.This man is an extraordinary, bonzer artist. I americium truthful grateful.” He went to convey nan legendary Christopher Tucker, nan constitution creator connected “The Elephant Man” who inspired Marino to return up nan craft.

Farrell continued, “Things are ever shifting now successful a business wherever everything is going towards tech, and I understand that. I’m not for illustration campaigning for pigeons pinch notes successful their talons. But I besides announcement that location is simply a benignant of edging distant from applicable constitution and nan magic and nan artistry and nan tactility and nan immediacy and nan beauty of applicable makeup.”

Speaking connected existential evolutions wrong nan industry, Marino said, “It takes galore thousands of steps to do thing truthful realistic. When you deliberation you cognize what personification looks for illustration successful your mind and past you want to spot it travel to life, it’s a immense task. We’re successful clip erstwhile AI tin create fundamentally thing convincingly correct now. That does make it a substitute for quality creativity. If we want to protect nan psyche of filmmaking, we person to protect nan group who make it.”

The IndieWire Honors event took spot astatine NeueHouse successful Hollywood connected Thursday, June 5. Other honorees for nan evening included Ben Stiller, Owen Cooper, Julianne Nicholson, Kathy Bates, and more.