The “horrifying” day a monkey Danny DeVito’s testicles on the set of ‘Batman Returns’
Of all the strange showbiz stories to crawl out of Gotham’s sewers, having your knackers savaged by an overzealous monkey might just take the biscuit. In what can only be described as a criminally underrated moment in Batman lore, Danny DeVito nearly lost his crown jewels to a stunt monkey on the set of Batman Returns – and comically, it’s not even the weirdest thing that happened on a Tim Burton shoot.
The film, famously directed by Burton and arriving as the sequel to the 1989 Batman, starred DeVito alongside Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken and more. It was both a critical and commercial success, with DeVito widely praised for his portrayal of the Penguin – a bile-spitting villain set on killing all of Gotham’s first-born sons.
In a nice little nugget of Hollywood gossip, DeVito was reportedly suggested for the role by his friend Jack Nicholson, fresh off the success of playing the Joker in the first effort. He threw himself into the part completely and, at one point, that commitment nearly left him with an eyewatering injury.
While DeVito has his own distinct look, the Penguin required extensive makeup and costuming even beyond his method, with the actor spending up to four hours each day getting ready. In one scene, where a trained monkey was brought in to deliver a note from the Penguin to Batman, it was that same elaborate costume that ended up protecting him.
While appearing on The Graham Norton Show, the host brings up the subject of working with animals, prompting DeVito to recall the time he worked with the small spider monkey. “Yeah that was horrifying,” the actor said with a serious tone as the audience began to chuckle.
“That was a horrifying experience,” he continued.
Detailing further, DeVito explained that, as director, Tim Burton demonstrated how the scene was planned and asked the monkey trainer to run through the procedure. Moments later, as the test run was completed without any issues, DeVito was happy to step up to the plate and get into character. “I put this mouthwash, kind of black and dark green mouthwash in my mouth so that when I talked the Penguin stuff would ooze out and drip down,” explained DeVito while doing the voice of his now-iconic role.
“It was a long staircase and the monkey was delivering a note to The Penguin from Batman,” DeVito recalled. “They had a handler or whatever on the top of the thing, and there was a person down below, and they called the monkey with the note.”
He added: “They roll the cameras, monkey comes down the steps, I walk over in the Penguin… the monkey looked at me, froze, and then leapt right at my balls. Swear to God, it was horrifying.
“Thank god it was a padded costume. We took off the suit, and there was a huge chunk taken out of it,” he said. “So we did it again.”
It’s the kind of on-set disaster that could’ve ended a lesser man’s career – or at the very least, his ability to sit comfortably. But DeVito, ever the consummate pro, shrugged it off like any other day at Paddy’s Pub.
The scene went ahead, the monkey was presumably given a stern talking-to, and cinema history remained intact – monkey attack and all. And while most actors walk away from superhero roles with action figures and lunchboxes in their likeness, DeVito walked away with a nearly shredded crotch and a story you can’t make up.
