During an interview for the home video release of Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, Flickering Myth questioned actor Paul Walter Hauser about his campaign to play the Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot in the DC Universe (especially Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman, in which the character is rumored to appear); while he didn’t divulge any details about whether or not he’s heard of any interest from DC, he did make an impassioned case for the role.

Paul Walter Hauser said, “I think that I can do with the Penguin what Heath Ledger did with the Joker. If somebody gives me the opportunity, I’m far from the most famous choice, and I don’t know if I can put butts in seats, but I know I can give an unforgettable performance.”

An actor campaigning for a role in a comic book movie isn’t a rare occurrence in Hollywood, but Hauser has already released proof that he actually has the chops to pull off playing The Penguin. “[I]f you go to my Instagram page you’ll see both photographic and videographic evidence of me doing the character,” Hauser stated. Check out some samples of his particular take on the character below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnwNH19nhoa/?utm_source=ig_embed

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpzyXPGnfhW/?utm_source=ig_embed

Judging by the video, Hauser’s approach to the character does, in fact, seem to be similar to Ledger’s iconic Joker performance, in that he’s taking a typically cartoonish villain and injecting a healthy dose of humanistic darkness and idiosyncratic tics/movements.

Previously, in live-action projects, the Penguin has been played by Burgess Merideth (1966’s Batman), Danny DeVito (1992’s Batman Returns) and Robin Lord Taylor (Fox’s Gotham).

via Flickering Myth