

From heart-throb to mob-blob, Colin Farrell’s transformation into Oswald ‘The Penguin’ Cobblepot in 2022’s The Batman was a sight to behold. The Irish Hollywood megastar was all-but unrecognisable as the infamous comic book villain, giving the iconic crime lord a grounded new look in Matt Reeves’ gritty caped crusader reboot.
Farrell piled on the pounds, thinned out the hair line and, thanks to a slathering of latex prosthetics, ditched his handsome good looks for a scarred, slimy and sinister take on the rogues gallery regular:
Farrell is back on the streets of Gotham this week in an all-new Batman spin-off show — HBO’s ‘The Penguin’ is streaming on HBO (Sky Atlantic / Now), and catalogues the rise of icy-cool mobster.
With Farrell sitting for four hours in make-up each day before filming as the Penguin, we thought it was time to shine the Bat signal on 10 other incredible cinematic makeovers that silver screen stars have undergone (or endured!) over the years.
From comic book creeps to historical heroes, cast your vote on the most unbelievable transformations below…
The 10 best movie makeovers










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Gerald Lynch is the Editor-in-Chief of Shortlist, keeping careful watch over the site's editorial output and social channels. He's happiest in the front row of a gig for a band you've never heard of, watching 35mm cinema re-runs of classic sci-fi flicks, or propping up a bar with an old fashioned in one hand and a Game Boy in the other.