True Detective's Colin Farrell Struggled With Gaining 20 Pounds For The Show

Before he received his first Academy Award nomination for "The Banshees of Inisherin" — and lost to Brendan Fraser for "The Whale" — Colin Farrell put on real weight for his role as a whaler in the underseen AMC+ miniseries "The North Water" in 2021. When it came time for Farrell to play the Penguin in five or six scenes of "The Batman," however, he'd had enough, so he "decided on a fat suit" instead. At the time, he explained, "I didn't want to naturally go big again cause I had a few little health things as a result of 'The North Water.'"

Another reason why Farrell was maybe hesitant to bulk up again is that he already had experience gaining weight for his role as corrupt cop Ray Velcoro in HBO's "True Detective" season 2. In 2015, while serving as the chic spokesman for Dolce & Gabbana's Intenso fragrance, Farrell told Glamour UK (via Entertainment Tonight):

"People think it must be fun to eat what you want — and it is, for the first day. Day two, when you're already on your second cheeseburger and fries with a chocolate shake by 11 a.m., not so much."

While the reception to "True Detective" season 2 was much less favorable than its critically acclaimed first season, the series did rebound, and is soon coming back for a fourth season, "Night Country," led by Jodie Foster. If nothing else, Farrell's turn as Velcoro marked the beginning of an interesting new trend in his filmography where he's become unafraid to adopt different physiques and mannerisms and transform himself into a more scene-chewing character actor.

A whaler and the Penguin weren't Farrell's only two forays into bodily transformation linked to aquatic creatures. As much as he might have struggled with gaining weight for "True Detective" season 2, he would gain even more — 45 pounds in two months — for his role as David in Yorgos Lanthimos' "The Lobster." In 2016, while promoting "The Lobster," Farrell told ET that he was microwaving ice cream and drinking it and asking his sister for piggyback rides so as to keep up the most sedentary lifestyle possible while consuming 4,000 calories a day.

Again, Farrell said this was only fun "for about two days," and that it affected his sleep schedule. Being dedicated to your craft as an actor is one thing, but when it starts to lead to health problems, you should probably walk it back a bit — which Farrell did later as the Penguin, a role he'll soon be reprising in an HBO Max spin-off.