Performer of the Week: Colin Farrell
THE PERFORMER | Colin Farrell
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THE SHOW | HBO’s The Penguin
THE EPISODE | “A Great or Little Thing” (Nov. 10, 2024)
THE PERFORMANCE | Colin Farrell has been fantastic as the title character in The Penguin since the show began — and even further back, given that he was such a scene-stealer when he originated the character in The Batman. It goes without saying that Mike Marino’s makeup design is absolutely phenomenal, completely physically transforming Farrell, but it’s the actor that fully sells you on the reality of Oz Cobb. From the voice he uses to how he carries himself, it’s often hard to fathom Farrell is under there at all, which was underlined by his work in the show’s gripping finale.
That episode ultimately put Oz in sort of a monkey’s paw situation as he gained all the power he’s long wanted, but at a great cost. Farrell showed Oz at his most anguished and vulnerable when he found himself a prisoner of Sofia alongside his mother, Francis. Farrell masterfully sold Oz’s mixture of confusion, fear and anger, as Sofia brought up his earliest, darkest secret — that he was responsible for the death of his two brothers as a child. It’s a testament to Farrell that we could see Oz as so vulnerable and anguished in the moment, even in the midst of a scene that also reminded us of the monster he is.
Oz’s entire worldview was smashed to pieces when Francis revealed she always knew what he did to her other sons and nearly had him killed in the aftermath, and Farrell vividly depicted him having to process this and absorb the impact of his mother telling him she hates him. But Oz ultimately couldn’t or wouldn’t allow himself to deal with this truth. He’d rather live a lie. So perhaps it was horribly perfect for him that Francis ended up comatose. Farrell exuded just the right aura of warped tragedy in these final moments, depicting how Oz now pretends that Francis would be happy living with him in his new penthouse apartment rather than having to continue to process how she truly felt.
It was a hell of a performance throughout the entire finale, including the awful moment when Oz kills Vic because he perceived the teenage boy’s love and loyalty as a hindrance and potential weakness for him. Farrell’s complex work ensured we understand why Oz makes the decisions he does, even if we hate the character for it.
Scroll down to see who got Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…
HONORABLE MENTION: Tyler Hoechlin
One of the key reasons that Superman & Lois fans have adored Tyler Hoechlin’s portrayal of the Man of Steel has been his innate ability to access the humanity of a decidedly otherworldly character. He’s never shied away from leaning into Clark’s vulnerability, something we’re seeing even more now that the last son of Krypton is finally being forced to confront his own mortality. And with only three episodes left in the series’ run, Hoechlin turned in one of his most captivating performances yet this week, as Superman — spoiler alert! — revealed his secret to the world during a nationally televised interview.
This came after Clark was accused of being Superman at a crowded diner, where a gunman shot at him just to prove his point. As the bullet flew towards Clark, he weighed his options in a powerful slow-motion sequence that will go down as one of the series’ most memorable moments. Though no words were exchanged, we could feel every ounce of the life-changing decision weighing on him in that moment, especially when he turned his attention to Lois, his personal Superwoman. — Andy Swift
HONORABLE MENTION: Jared Padalecki
Camden Casey, you do know how to make an entrance. Jared Padalecki kicked off his Fire Country guest-starring arc this Friday in grand, unique fashion — firing up some Tom Petty on the jukebox, flaunting a Dodgers jersey (in NorCal!), flinging a flip-flop at a local tough guy and then proceeding to whale on the guy and his friends with ease and elan. Camden is here to make waves, to stoke a fire within local hero Bode, and Padalecki perfectly fit the role of firebrand, imbuing most every line reading with intensity and a gruff, Cordell-like timbre. Padalecki, though, also effectively injected pathos, when Camden shared with Bode how he lost his entire crew — nine men — in an infamous fire. If this arc is a “test run” to see if Camden is spinoff-worthy, Padalecki came in red-hot. — Matt Webb Mitovich
HONORABLE MENTION: Michael Urie
There are multiple actors we could spotlight here for this week’s fabulous Shrinking, but we just can’t stop thinking about the comedic relief Michael Urie provided in the overly emotional installment. The actor’s physicality had us in stitches as his character Brian attempted to explain to Alice why he’d been privately meeting with the man who killed her mother. Urie harnessed his character’s twitchy anxiety as he unleashed a 90-second-plus hyperactive monologue that rambled (in a good way!) about having a baby, Louis’ sad life and the darkness of Requiem for a Dream. (Also, his Brett Goldstein impression? A+.) Later, the actor was able to meet the energy of co-stars Lukita Maxwell and Goldstein, exuding a sweet softness as the trio reflected on the past and shared stories. For these reasons and more, Urie proved to be a perfect fit for the show’s balance of happy-sad storytelling. — Nick Caruso
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!
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