LOS ANGELES, Sept 18 (Reuters) - When Colin Farrell

looked in the mirror after donning prosthetic makeup for his

role as the title character in the Max series "The Penguin," he

could no longer recognize himself.

"I looked in the mirror, and I saw something looking back

that was not me," the Irish actor said.

Farrell added that, except for his hands, every part of his

body was transformed by "The Penguin" designer Mike Marino.

The crime drama series is based on the popular DC Comics

villain named Penguin and serving as a spinoff of the 2022 film

"The Batman," which Farrell also starred in as the Penguin. It

unpacks Oswald "Oz" Cobb's - AKA the Penguin's - rise to power

through crime in fictional Gotham City.

Along with the "The Banshees of Inisherin" actor, the series

stars Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, heiress of a mob family,

and Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar, a teenager who becomes the

Penguin's driver.

"Sofia comes from such astronomical wealth, and Victor and

Oz come from the rough, poor, side of the city," Milioti said of

the main characters.

"Yet they all go through these horrible things," she added.

The show is produced by DC Studios in association with

Warner Bros. Television and arrives on Max on Thursday. All

three are units of Warner Bros. Discovery ( WBD ).

For Farrell, what he calls his "powerful transformation"

into the Penguin wasn't just about external alterations to his

appearance; it was a psychological change.

"There was a particular internal change that happened with

such an abundance of external brilliance that was placed upon

me," he said.

Like Farrell, Feliz was taken off guard by the striking

difference in Farrell's appearance for his sinister role.

"You know it's Colin doing the thing, but then it's like a

magic trick going on because your brain's telling you that it

looks like Oz, but your brain knows that it's Colin," Feliz

said.

Milioti also found herself impressed by the makeup used in

the show.

"The makeup is so real, there's not a part of it that looks

like someone's in makeup. It moves, it feels real," she said.

However, it was her co-star's connection to the character

that Milioti found especially interesting.

"Colin is in such communion with that character," she said.

On set, Milioti saw Farrell dressed as Oz more than she saw

him dressed as his normal self.

"Even if he would still talk, like 'How was your weekend?'

I was with the visual of Oz cuz I do feel like I know this other

person that's very real to me and very real to him, and real to

all of us that were there." she said.