Danny DeVito says he was a better Penguin than Colin Farrell

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Danny DeVito recalls his time playing opposite Michael Keaton’s Batman as the Penguin, and compares it to the current version.

Danny DeVito is best known for his comedy roles, such as Frank Reynolds in the long-running sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia or Vincent Benedict in Twins.

But DeVito has also delved into superhero movies long before cinematic universes were the biggest trend in the industry. In Batman Returns, DeVito starred as Oswald Cobblepot, aka the Penguin, opposite Michael Keaton’s Batman.

According to a recent interview, DeVito still holds his performance in very high regard.

DeVito says his Penguin is better than Farrell’s

The actor recently appeared on Vanity Fair‘s Lie Detector Test interview series with his daughter, Lucy.

She didn’t hold back with her first question, asking her father if she was his favorite child. While Danny managed to evade the question somewhat, the next question was a doozy.

Lucy showed her father a picture of Michael Keaton, asking “which do you prefer?” But before she could even show him the other choice, Danny answered “this is the Batman for me.”

When his daughter followed up, asking “what about this Penguin?” and showing the older DeVito a picture of actor Colin Farrell, Danny deadpanned his succinct answer.

“I love Colin. He’s a terrific guy. My Penguin was better.”

DeVito was clearly having fun with it, giving a wry grin as they moved on with the questioning, but he definitely seems to prefer the older Tim Burton version of Batman where he and Keaton played.

And, although The Batman (in which Farrell starred as Penguin) has received critical admiration, there does seem to be nostalgia for this era.

Keaton was reportedly set to reprise the role of Batman in the HBO Max film Batgirl before that was canceled. Maybe, in a world where that movie wasn’t canned, we could be seeing Danny DeVito’s Penguin return as well.