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In a candid exchange with Colin Farrell for Variety's Actors on Actors, Danny DeVito revisited his iconic role as the Penguin in Tim Burton's Batman Returns—but it was his honest confession about co-star Michelle Pfeiffer that turned heads. "She was a goddess," DeVito said plainly. "I got all flushed... Put extra makeup on—'Give me another pound of makeup.'"
DeVito, now 80, played the grotesque yet oddly endearing Oswald Cobblepot opposite Pfeiffer's fierce Catwoman in the 1992 film. During the interview, Farrell teased, "Did you brush your teeth that morning?" to which DeVito quipped, "It was very difficult." The actor insisted the feelings were channeled through the character: "It was not me. It was the Penguin. It was Oswald that was lustful."
The film, which grossed over $266 million globally, remains one of Burton's most stylistically daring projects. Its operatic tones, dramatic set design, and psychological depth helped redefine superhero cinema. "The Shakespeare of it — 'All the world's a stage,'" DeVito reflected. "Oswald's realm and his penguins and his minions and his passion. I loved that."
DeVito revealed that the role demanded over three hours of daily makeup and a grueling 66-day shooting schedule. Still, he found moments of levity on set, including making pasta between takes. "I'm in the middle of a scene in the Penguin's lair... and I call a guy over—'Stir the sauce,'" he laughed.
Beyond the nostalgic memories, DeVito's affection for Pfeiffer extended into the creative realm. In 2021, he authored a short story for DC Comics' Gotham City Villains, imagining a romantic arc between the Penguin and Catwoman. "I figured I'd put those two together," he told Entertainment Weekly. "The Penguin obviously lusts after Catwoman."
Farrell, who played the same villain in The Batman and HBO's The Penguin, asked if DeVito would return to the role. "Absolutely," DeVito replied. "You can go off the rails with something." The comment underscored the theatrical and artistic freedom Burton's vision allowed—a sentiment echoed by critics who continue to rank Batman Returns among the most ambitious comic book films ever made.
More than three decades on, DeVito's reflections offer more than tabloid-worthy nostalgia—they reveal a performer still charmed by the chaos, creativity, and camaraderie of Gotham's dark underworld. As DeVito concluded with a smirk, "Be still my beating Penguin heart."
