Colin Farrell has revealed he fought for his character in The Batman to be allowed to smoke on screen, but to no avail.
The Irish actor is taking on the role of the iconic villain The Penguin in the new action hero film, with the character undergoing a dramatic transformation compared to how we’re used to seeing him in other films and comic books.
But while the Penguin’s top hat, monocle and tuxedo might not be present in The Batman, Colin has admitted he hoped the character’s signature cigarette holder might have made it into the new film.
It seems producers had other ideas, though.
“Big studios make big decisions around such things as the presence of cigarettes in films,” he told Jake’s Takes. “I fought valiantly for a cigar. At one stage I said, ‘I can have it unlit! Just let me have it unlit’. They were like, ‘no’.”
Colin added: “[As if] a bunch of 12-year-olds are going to start smoking Cuban cigars because [of me].”
Emma Stone previously claimed that her character in Cruella did not smoke as “we are not allowed to smoke on screen in a Disney film”.
Voicing her disappointment, the Oscar winner noted that it had been “difficult” for her to bring Cruella to life without one of her most famous props, explaining: “I was so excited to have that green plume of smoke in there, but it was not possible.
“I don’t want to promote smoking. But I’m also not trying to promote skinning puppies.”
The Batman arrives in cinemas on Friday 4 March.