Posted in: Apple, HBO, TV | Tagged: sugar, the batman

Sugar Role Was "Sanity Check" For Colin Farrell After The Penguin

Apple TV's Sugar star Colin Farrell explains why playing John Sugar was a "sanity check" after playing Oz Cobb for HBO's The Penguin.

To say Colin Farrell is one of the most versatile and underrated leads in Hollywood today would be an understatement. The Oscar nominee has regularly shown off his incredible range, playing the protagonist in Sugar, True Detective, and S.W.A.T., while also playing despicable villains as the title character in The Penguin and the Matt Reeves The Batman films for DCU, and as Bullseye in the 2003 Daredevil. Farrell, while promoting his Apple TV series, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about how playing the hero can offset the "dark" nature of playing Oz Cobb since he started playing the role in 2022's The Batman, the HBO TV series follow-up, and the upcoming The Batman: Part 2, which he'll be filming.

Colin Farrell on How Playing John Sugar in 'Sugar' Contrasts to Playing Oz Cobb in 'The Penguin'

When asked about how playing John Sugar is refreshing compared to his DCU work as Oz Cobb, "Yeah, a sanity check. I love playing the Penguin. What a dream for a kid who grew up watching Burgess Meredith in 'Batman '66' and then onto Danny DeVito, my old pal, in Tim Burton's 'Batman Returns.' To play that part is brilliant, and to work with [prosthetic designer] Mike Marino and do that whole thing with the makeup is amazing.  This is not a bitch, but it's so dark. The character has such a poison within him," Farrell said. "Sugar, on the other hand, is so gentle, optimistic, and so fundamentally decent. It's a lovely moral palate cleanser." The big reveal in season one of the Mark Protosevich-created series is that John is an extraterrestrial alien searching for his sister, Djen (Maeve Shalen), but the trail has gone cold at the beginning of season two, and he's off to a different case.

During the events of The Batman, Oz was a driver/enforcer for the Falcone crime family. When his boss, Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), is killed by The Riddler/Edward Nashton (Paul Dano), it leaves a bit of a power vacuum at the start of the Lauren LeFranc-created series as he sees an opportunity to make his move. At first, he starts to take charge by taking out Carmine's son, Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), after he disrespects him. At the same time, Sofia (Cristin Milioti) is released from Arkham after being framed for her father's crimes, but leaves a changed woman.

As she's still the black sheep of the family, she decides to make her own power move, taking out all but one of the remaining Falcone family members who are a threat to her power before seizing the throne for herself and renouncing the family name, adopting her mother's last name, Gigante as Oz sees an opportunity to align himself and enter a partnership before the truth eventually comes out, but not before he gains allies along the way and the gang war ensues before coming out on top in the season finale, Sofia exiled back to Arkham before we enter the second Reeves film. As there are no details on the plot of The Batman: Part II, Farrell will have a similar, smaller supporting role as he did in the original. For more on Farrell discussing John Sugar's journey in both seasons and getting back into heavy prosthetic makeup for The Batman: Part 2, you can check out the entire interview.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!