Question: What did Danny DeVito eat instead of a raw fish during the scene where Shreck pushes the Penguin to run for mayor?

Batman Returns (1992)
1 answered question since 13 Apr '25, 12:32
Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer, Danny DeVito, Michael Keaton, Michael Gough

Continuity mistake: In Schreck's department store, when Catwoman is doing her cartwheels, her heels collapse. (00:53:40)
Selina Kyle: Honey, I'm home. Oh, I forgot. I'm not married.
Question: After she falls, what exactly makes Selyna Kyle go nuts? And what is she trying to do to her apartment?
Answer: The film keeps it ambiguous. There are two ways to look at it. Scenario A- She literally died and is brought back to life by the alley-cats somehow, adapting some of their traits. Or... Scenario B- The trauma of falling and sustaining a head-injury, along with her paranoia after Schreck tried to kill her, has driven her mad, and she uses her connection with cats to build a new persona. (Which is supported by the fact that all the things she claims "kills" her with each of her "nine lives" wouldn't actually have killed her. Ex. Her one fall is broken by the kitty-litter truck. Max doesn't hit her in any vital organs when he shoots her. Etc.) Her destroying her apartment is her lashing out at all the things she used to hold dear- her vision of a normal life, etc. It's symbolic of her purging the past and embracing the future. (Plus, oftentimes when people throw fits, they'll smash stuff up).
Chosen answer: She just died, and came back to life. The shock drove her mad. She really isn't doing anything but destroying it.
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Answer: He was actually eating raw fish.
Do you have a source for that? It seems unlikely.
Danny DeVito has stated in interviews that he ate fresh real bluefish (think of it like bluefish sashimi minus the soy sauce, wasabi, and ponzu).
Super Grover ★
Why would you think it seems unlikely? Lots of people eat raw fish. As long as it's treated properly to kill off bacteria (usually by flash-freezing it), it's perfectly safe. Heck, I even eat raw fish all the time. You just have to make sure it's sashimi-grade. Getting some raw bluefish seems cheaper and faster than going through a whole hullabaloo making a fake prop and concoction for the scene.
TedStixon