Farrell Says Resisted ‘Sopranos’ Rewatch Ahead of ‘Penguin’ Mob Role 

Actor Colin Farrell presenting the Emmy award for "Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" during the 76th annual Emmy Awards ceremony held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, USA, 15 September 2024. (EPA)
Actor Colin Farrell presenting the Emmy award for "Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" during the 76th annual Emmy Awards ceremony held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, USA, 15 September 2024. (EPA)
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Farrell Says Resisted ‘Sopranos’ Rewatch Ahead of ‘Penguin’ Mob Role 

Actor Colin Farrell presenting the Emmy award for "Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" during the 76th annual Emmy Awards ceremony held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, USA, 15 September 2024. (EPA)
Actor Colin Farrell presenting the Emmy award for "Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" during the 76th annual Emmy Awards ceremony held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, USA, 15 September 2024. (EPA)

Colin Farrell resisted rewatching iconic mob drama "The Sopranos" while preparing for his turn as a gangster boss in "The Penguin," the Irish star of the new Batman universe series told AFP on Tuesday.

"The Penguin" chronicles the gritty rise of a low-level player in the criminal underworld against a backdrop of societal dysfunction in grimy Gotham City, with New York City used for filming.

Farrell's anti-hero character, Oz Cobb who is dubbed the Penguin for his unsteady walk from a mishandled case of club foot, has drawn media comparisons to the larger-than-life mob boss Tony Soprano played by James Gandolfini.

Farrell, who spent hours a day being transformed into a grizzled, chunky villain, said he had drawn on "anything I ever read or seen about that world" for inspiration.

"To be honest I didn't need references because the script was just -- you use your imagination -- we're given fantastic writing," he told AFP at the New York premiere Tuesday.

"There's no doubt anything I've ever seen (inspired me) ... from Untouchables to Sopranos -- I'm not comparing myself (to the Sopranos). It inhabits a similar world. No (I didn't rewatch it) -- that would mess with me, why would I do that? That would mess with me because I'm very susceptible to influence" he said.

"All those films that I have seen in my past are part of my Rolodex of what I now own as my imagination."

"The Penguin" is the latest of several productions set in the Batman universe, but without the presence of the eponymous hero.

This eight-episode DC Studios series follows Matt Reeves's film "The Batman," starring Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader.

"The Penguin" airs on HBO and streams on Max from Thursday.



Oscars Push Back Nominations Announcement amid California Wildfires

Finished mounted Oscar Statuettes are seen at the Polich Tallix foundry in Walden, New York, US, January 25, 2018. Picture taken January 25, 2018. (Reuters)
Finished mounted Oscar Statuettes are seen at the Polich Tallix foundry in Walden, New York, US, January 25, 2018. Picture taken January 25, 2018. (Reuters)
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Oscars Push Back Nominations Announcement amid California Wildfires

Finished mounted Oscar Statuettes are seen at the Polich Tallix foundry in Walden, New York, US, January 25, 2018. Picture taken January 25, 2018. (Reuters)
Finished mounted Oscar Statuettes are seen at the Polich Tallix foundry in Walden, New York, US, January 25, 2018. Picture taken January 25, 2018. (Reuters)

The Oscar nominations are being pushed back almost a week from their original date amid the ongoing California wildfires. Nominations will now be announced on Jan. 23, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday.

“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship.”

With fires still active in the Los Angeles area, the film academy also extended the nominations voting period for its members through Friday. Originally, nominations were to be announced that morning.

The organization that puts on the Oscars has also made the decision to cancel its annual nominees luncheon, an untelevised event best known for the “class photos” it produces annually. The Scientific and Technical Awards, previously set for Feb. 18, will be rescheduled later.

The 97th Oscars will still happen on March 2, at the Dolby Theatre, with a live television broadcast on ABC beginning at 7 p.m. ET and a live stream on Hulu.

Oscar nominations were postponed in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ceremony itself was also delayed, which had happened several times before: The ceremony was pushed back a week because of disastrous flooding in Los Angeles in 1938.

In 1968, it was delayed two days following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And in 1981, it was put off for 24 hours after President Ronald Reagan was shot in Washington D.C.

The 1981 decision was made four hours before the broadcast was scheduled to begin.