A Starbucks barista literally served a drink to one of Batman’s most fearsome supervillains — and had no idea at the time. In the new filmThe Batman, opening worldwide in movie theaters this week,Colin Farrellportrays a new incarnation of Oswald Cobblepot, aka Penguin. To play the part, Farrell had to spend hours in the makeup chair for his physical transformation into Penguin, leaving him looking completely unrecognizable.
Farrell spoke about getting suited up as Penguin forThe Batmanin a new interview withColliderand revealed a behind-the-scenes story about his transformation. That first day in makeup, which took six hours or so to complete the process, Farrell and designer Mike Marino wanted to take the test the actor’s new look on the public. This included a stop at a local Starbucks in Burbank where Farrell ordered a drink unbefitting of the Penguin. Farrell says he noticed a few stares due to the character’s imposing look, which is probably what they wanted for the villainous character. Better yet, nobody recognized him at all.
“The first day we tried the whole thing out, we took it for a drive, a spin metaphorically speaking. We did it in Burbank. It took about six or eight hours. It was a team of ten or fifteen people. And it was really fun. I went into Starbucks and ordered myself a very un-Oswald drink, an oat milk latte with two Stevia sweeteners. I got a couple of stares but only because it’s such an imposing look. Mike (Marino) did so much of the work for me on this, so much of the heavy lifting.”
We can only wonder if that Starbucks barista later noticed Farrell’s Penguin in one of the trailers forThe Batmanand thought back to when he came into the coffee shop and ordered an oat milk latte.
Related:The Batman Debuts With Near-Perfect Score on Rotten Tomatoes
Colin Farrell Will Get His Own Penguin Series on HBO Max
As Penguin inThe Batman, Colin Farrell joins a cast that includes Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle, Paul Dano as The Riddler, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon. Matt Reeves directs the movie using a screenplay co-written with Peter Craig. It is set in a standalone universe intended to launch its own separate franchise.
We will be getting plenty more of Colin Farrell’s Penguin as well. It remains to be seen if he will appear inThe Batman 2, which seems inevitable but hasn’t yet been greenlit. But the actor has signed on to appear in his own Penguin-centric series at HBO Max that serves as a spinoff toThe Batman. The serieshas been compared toScarfacein that it chronicles the rise of Oswald Cobblepot from a petty criminal in Gotham into one of the city’s most powerful supervillains.
The Batmanpremieres in the United States on August 02, 2025. No release date has yet been set for the tie-in Penguin show.
