In retrospect, Danny DeVito seems like the perfect choice to play the Penguin. But the man needed some convincing prior to being officially cast in “Batman Returns.” Jack Nicholson even had a hand in persuading his friend to take on the role, and after a meeting with Tim Burton, DeVito was finally onboard.
In the years since “Batman Returns” debuted, the actor has spoken about his willingness to return as the Penguin, saying he’d be open to reprising the role as recently as 2021. Now, he’s once again reminded us all of his passion for Oswald Cobblepot, in an SFX Magazine interview. During the Zoom interview, he revealed he still has one of the umbrellas used in “Returns,” even bringing out the prop out during the call.
According to the report, DeVito took a moment to announce, “I have something you’re gonna really like, just stay right where you are. Don’t move,” before walking away and returning to reveal a black and white spiral umbrella. He then added, “That is the original Penguin’s umbrella […] Ladies and gentlemen, watch his mind be blown,” referring to the prop as “a treasure of mine.”
The umbrella in question is one of many used in “Returns,” and sounds like it comes from the scene in which Christopher Walken’s Max Shreck first gets taken to the Penguin’s sewer hideout. There Oswald takes out the umbrella and starts twirling it before letting off a shot and revealing it to be a gun in disguise.
