Danny DeVito Rescued Batman Returns By Performing Standup As The Penguin

Warner Bros.

1992's "Batman Returns" was initially met with a reaction somewhere between confused and concerned, mostly due to it being a much darker affair than audiences and critics had expected. But it has since firmly established its standing as one of the great Batman interpretations. Even as Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy mostly dominates conversations about the greatest Batman movies, "Batman Returns" remains an inspired and beautiful expressionist nightmare that represents a full realization of director Tim Burton's artistic vision.

But it wasn't just Burton's direction and production designer Bo Welch's Art Deco-meets-Fascism set design that made "Returns" such an immersive and unforgettable experience. Danny DeVito's performance as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin stole the show — which, considering this was a movie that also starred Michael Keaton, Christopher Walken, and Michelle Pfeiffer, is a pretty impressive accomplishment. While Colin Farrell hated his costume for 2024's "The Penguin" series, DeVito had an absolute blast playing the character "Batman Returns." Similarly to his modern counterpart, the actor found he could disappear inside the extensive makeup and prosthetics, embracing the infamous Batman rogue so fully that it remains one of his best performances to this day. DeVito even maintains that his Penguin performance is better than Farrell's, and while he may have said that somewhat facetiously, I'm not sure he's entirely wrong.

As it turns out, DeVito helped "Returns" in more than one way. Aside from delivering a standout performance, he also managed to rouse a weary production crew in an unorthodox way during one particularly tough shooting day.

Warner Bros.

Danny DeVito was a little too committed to playing The Penguin in "Batman Returns," to the extent that he stayed in character between scenes and even admitted to eating real raw fish from the fish market for one infamous scene. DeVito is apparently quite a fan of awkward on-set preparation, as he would later disturb one of his "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" co-stars with his ritual for getting into character. But that commitment is the reason we get such memorable performances from the guy, and it was no different with The Penguin. Even with his dedication to the role, however, it seems DeVito wasn't so consumed by his character that he forgot about the practicalities of filmmaking.

The official "Batman Returns" companion book includes a story about how the actor revitalized a tired cast and crew in an unexpected but very effective way. As recounted in the book, the crew had been working all night on the impressive Gotham Plaza set, erected as part of a larger sprawling Gotham City set across the Warner Bros. sound stages in Burbank. Shooting had been going on for some time, and just after midnight, the cast and crew were running out of steam.

It was then that DeVito decided to take up residence in the center of the set, standing beneath Gotham Cathedral in full Penguin make-up and costume, and deliver a full half-hour stand-up comedy set. The actor is said to have continued non-stop for the full 30 minutes, prompting laughter among the crew and resuscitating a weary production as a result. DeVito's intervention meant that filming could continue right the way through the rest of the night.

Warner Bros.

It's often said that the star of a movie is supposed to be more than the name at the top of the call sheet. Leading men and ladies are often expected to take on a kind of leadership role. As Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Predator" co-star Sonny Landham said during an on-set interview, "A star is not only to sell tickets, he's got to take command of the set and be a leader." While DeVito wasn't under any obligation to reinvigorate the "Batman Returns" crew during that long night of shooting, it shows that he at least understood his unique position as one of the film's stars. It also speaks to his versatility, which can allow him to play one of the most menacing incarnations of Oswald Cobblepot in all of media while simultaneously delighting crowds with his comedy stylings — a portent of things to come later in his career,

Interestingly enough, while DeVito doesn't have a background in stand-up, the actual star of the movie, Michael Keaton, very much did. He had been performing in comedy clubs since the '70s, and continued doing his stand-up routine well into the following decade. As such, it would make more sense for him to have done what DeVito did, but Keaton had already cheered up the "Batman" set three years prior by starting a food fight in the studio, so perhaps he felt his work was done.