Danny DeVito is Hollywood royalty at this point, with a career spanning multiple generations. He has appeared in everything from TV series to dark comedy movies. He’ll always be Harry Wormwood from Matilda for me, but many know him best for his unforgettable portrayal of the Penguin in Batman Returns.
Tim Burton’s Batman Returns is a polarizing Batman movie, but it’s over-dramatic in all the right ways if you ask me. In a recent interview with Variety, DeVito teamed up with Colin Farrell, a fantastic pairing already, as both have played the iconic Batman villain. DeVito was the Penguin in 1992, and Farrell put his own spin on the character in The Batman in 2022.
Right off the bat, it’s clear the pair are good friends, and they play perfectly off each other during the sit-down. The conversation eventually came to Batman and Catwoman, and both actors had a lot to say. DeVito asks Farrell who his Catwoman was. He replies, “Zoë Kravitz. I did a couple of scenes with Zoë. Only briefly. She was wonderful.” As for DeVito, his Catwoman was the legendary Michelle Pfeiffer, and he had nothing but high praise for her.
DeVito Says He ‘Lusted’ After Catwoman
DeVito said, “I had Michelle Pfeiffer. I’m not comparing anything, but I’m just saying she was a goddess. If I knew she was going to be in a scene that day, I got all flushed.” Farrell quipped, “Did you brush your teeth that morning?” Recalling his time on set, Devito admitted, “I lusted after her.”
Farrell joked, “We’re moving on from your lust. Just tell me, what form did the lust take behaviorally?”
Danny clarified, “It was Oswald that was lustful. I kind of feel like she liked it. She liked Oswald.” The Penguin is the alias of Oswald Cobblepot in the Batman universe. When asked if DeVito would ever reprise his role as the supervillain, he confidently replied, “Absolutely.” He explains that he loved the “operatic element” of Tim Burton’s Batman movie. “All the world’s a stage. Oswald’s realm and his penguins and his minions and his passion. I loved that,” he said.
When Farrell asked if DeVito took any of the Penguin character home with him, he said he didn’t and returned to his wife, Rhea Perlman, and his children.