NYCC 24: HBO’s THE PENGUIN: Extended Sneak Peek and Conversations with Colin Farrell, Cast and Creatives
/A new family will rise.
THE PENGUIN (MAX)
Thursday morning ‘The Penguin’ star and executive producer, Colin Farrell took the Empire Stage at New York Comic Con for a mid-season discussion by showrunner and fellow EP Lauren LeFranc, with fellow cast and creatives as they debuted the mid-season trailer in addition to two extended sneak peeks for the audience of episode five, while delving deep into the criminal underworld of Gotham City.
The next chapter in The Batman saga, HBO’s acclaimed original limited series THE PENGUIN, from Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios has seen a few incremental rating increases each episode since its September 19th debut.
This thrilling crime drama follows Oswald “Oz” Cobb’s quest for control in Gotham City. With the city in peril following the seawall’s collapse, Oz (Oscar® nominee Colin Farrell) seeks to fill the power vacuum left by the death of Carmine Falcone and finally give his mother Francis (Deirdre O’Connell) the life he’s always promised. But first, Oz must confront his enemies, including Carmine’s children, Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) and Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen); the Maroni family, led by their imprisoned patriarch, Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown); and Oz’s own demoralizing reputation as “the Penguin.”
Colin Farrell (Oz Cobb) aka “The Penguin”
Panelists included Colin Farrell (Oz Cobb aka “The Penguin” and Executive Producer), Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti), Clancy Brown (Sal Maroni), Lauren LeFranc (Showrunner and Executive Producer) and Mike Marino (Prosthetic Makeup Designer).
The panel opened with its first clip, where Oz Cobb (Farrell) and Victor (Feliz) shared a special moment where they discussed their relationship and loyalty, meanwhile Oz’s car burned in the background. Oz tells Victor “It’s you and me now, kid until the end,” before making a surprise visit to rough up Sal Maroni’s son and paying him a visit in prison.
During the first half of the panel discussion Farrell, LeFranc and Mike Marino elaborated on their first introductions to the character and refining the comic book character, and when LeFranc got the call to do the limited series which including previewing 40 minutes of Matt Reeves’ The Batman and transitioning from film to television.
Lauren expressed how she really dove into the character when she read thescripts and when Matt showed her the first 40 minutes. She was inspired by the psychology of where Oz came from and what makes him tick. She also wanted to honor Matt and the comics that came before, while keeping a similar tone in the transition from film to tv and how the character has evolved.
Oz is a funny, weird and unpredictable guy and the show expands that, in the film Oz had light screen time and served as comic relief, it didn’t really get to dig into his motivations or backstory so now the show gets to do that.
Farrell called playing the character “a dream come true…because I’m still 48 going on seven sometimes. So it’s not lost on me that I was a seven-year old kid sitting on a carpet in Dublin in my parents’ house watching Adam West and all the pow! Kerrang! and an all that stuff.”
The incredibly talented Prosthetic Makeup Designer, Mike Marino talked about his inspiration for movie make-up magic and the first film he saw that blew him away was Elephant Man by David Finch, and not knowing at the time about the extensive makeup it required. Later on in life he really appreciated the craft and learned it wasn’t real but actually makeup, and this was back in 1980. He went on to say Michael Jackson’s thriller is the greatest thing ever, and how Artist Rick Baker, known for Planet of the Apes (2001), Men in Black, and The Wolfman (2010) really got him into makeup effects. Baker who also worked on the Nutty Professor, later became close friends with Marino, congratulating him on The Batman saying it’s the best makeup ever done and that he really loved the show, bringing things full circle for Marino.
During the panel, Marino explained the behind-the-scenes work, and how “it was a great opportunity to explore his make-up, his character and see what we could refine from the film. Technical pieces, changing the design for the better. We were filming in so many lighting environments, he’s in the make-up much longer, so it’s a huge maintenance to keep this magic trick together for that long.”
Not only was Farrell’s face being completely transformed, but he was also wearing the suit for longer periods of time, building his accent with the dialect coach and getting his walk down-packed.
Lauren talks about really getting into the strange little moments and details of developing the character of Oz and how she really enjoys working on the scripts for the show. It’s fun to write.. challenging dark thrilling” and her experience writing and working on his voice, his humor, and how cutting and terrible he could be, really shaping what living as Oz on the page would look like.
She goes on to say Farrell is the “most incredible actor to take on and embody Oz,” along with Mike’s makeup with Colin underneath, working with such an “incredible, amazing talented genuine, and lovely. can’t ask for a better cast.” She thanked her amazing team of casting directors and writers bringing these characters to life was truly amazing, and nice to see the whole crew environment band together on site despite challenges like the strike, and cold weather.
For a production that was interrupted by WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Farrell also credited the team of people around him who helped bring the show and titular character to life. “So much of the work I really did feel was done for me,” Colin said crediting artist Mike Marino in particular with a character design that turned out to be far more detailed and physically transforming then he initially thought. Farrell said he went into the project expecting “a bit of a nose prosthetic or something” and instead was “confronted with the fleshy, imposing figure at the center of this dark telling of The Penguin’s origin story.”
Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti),and Clancy Brown (Sal Maroni) join the stage after a second clip is revealed.
Sofia Falcone (Milioti)
The second clip, Sofia Falcone (Milioti) has Johnny Viti (Kelly) chained up in a cold, chambered room where she tortures him with ice cold water while he refuses to give up information. She asks him he if he wants to die here in the dark, and Johnny begins to reveal some truths about her parents, and her mothers plans for leaving Carmine. Viti pleads to Sofia that he can help her gain the next respect she needs to move forward as a criminal leader.
Michael Kelly tells fans that his scene with Sophia scared the hell out of him as an actor. Milioti describes Sofia as a dark and complicated character, and how she’s been wanting to do something challenging like this [character] since was little, which sounds crazy.” She says that playing Sofia, whose arc goes from mob daughter to a queenpin is the “heart of episode four,” and it was “a dream,” not just the opportunity to portray a villain in the Batman universe, but for the depth of her story. “It’s so rare that you’re given an opportunity to show that much of someone’s history, and especially to show why someone is driven to madness.”
The Penguin (MAX)
Milioti explains how Sofia Falcone was betrayed by her own family and sent to Arkham, her father groomed her to be next in line, and she was born to take over the family. She says it would’ve happened the same way, of course the circumstances are very different, but she would’ve led regardless. Her story is loaded, but she’s good at this.
The clip also showed what’s going on with Oz, as he is seen rallying his troops, planning the next move against the Maroni’s. He tasks Victor with protecting with mother, but when the young protege gets to Mrs. Cobb’s house, he finds a mess and she appears missing. He finds her cooped up in the bedroom and she mistakes him for Oz. He reveals the fate of the Falcone family.
The series is not only an origin story for Oz, but essentially an origin story for everyone. We don’t just get a deep look into the lives of “Ma” and Oz’s relationship but also the lives of Vick and Sophia. Rhenzy Feliz who is spectacular as Victor Aguilar, talks about how Victor is one of the few innocent people we see. He goes down this dangerous path and returns to Oz when he came back to save his life. Oz tells him the life that Victor is headed down doesn’t offer much success, and now things are more exciting. Victor lost his family and gets to be a part of something big, he doesn’t have money, and he liked something in Oz, especially his confidence.
Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar
Ultimately he made the decision to stay, Renzy says Victor doesn’t necessarily look at Oz as family.. hasn’t given “so much thought to it” but “starting to understand the opportunity” and coming into it the relationship w/ Oz as “a mentor figure, something familiar, a mentorship.”
Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb) talked about her toxic relationship with Oz. That Mrs. Cobb is proud of what he’s doing some of the time, and how he has a tendency of being weak and being invisible, and that she turns his dark nature into a weapon. Colin jokes about feeling triggered by his on-screen mother.
Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb)
Colin also chimes in about his thoughts on Oz’s and Victors friendship. Oz trust Vic with the life of his mother, he’s a kindred spirit, the first time they met he was a danger a threat but he eventually sees Vic is just a kid falling apart, notices his stutter and sees something familiar. Misery loves company, Oz is also lost a bit more than he realizes. He also sees Vic as someone he can push around but gets the sense of a loner and over time grows affection. Victor represents a “conscious.. the purest representation of innocence, a lovely character point Lauren designed.”
Throughout the panel, the cast and creative team discussed previous iterations of Batman characters, including The Penguin. Farrell acknowledged Adam West, Danny DeVito and the expansive worlds of Christopher Nolan and Tim Burton. One of the most interesting takeaways from the panel was when LeFranc was asked what inspired her take on “The Hangman” Sofia Falcone. Milioti’s stellar Emmy-worthy performance especially in Episode 4 where we learned her full backstory, has received high praise.
Sophia wants to win, she wants power and believes she deserves it and will make-up for what happened to her. Milioti says Sophia’s pain has no where to go. Show-runner Lauren LeFranc explained her vision of Sofia’s origin, how thinking about what would make someone so innocent become this way.
“I was inspired by Rosemary Kennedy’s story. She was deemed the forgotten daughter. In her 20’s, her father put her in an institution and she was given a lobotomy. We don’t know what her story was,” she told the audience. “Thinking like a character like Sofia and bringing her into the world… as a character I wish I had when I was younger, I wanted to relate her to something that felt very real.” – Lauren LeFranc
Cristin Milioti excitedly expresses how appreciative she is “getting to play that rare given opportunity to show someone driven to madness and understand what she does.”
This whole world came from Lauren and an amazing team of writers. They talk about the scene where Sophia grows bolder is not afraid to hide her scars anymore, and the work of Martha Melendez (department head of makeup) and Helen Wong (head of costume design).
“The Penguin” is executive produced by showrunner Lauren LeFranc along with Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Farrell, director Craig Zobel and Bill Carraro and Daniel Pipski.
The panel ended with a treat to a special mid-season trailer.
Stream a new episode of the HBO Original Limited Series #ThePenguin this Sunday at 9 pm ET on Max.
Discover the best entertainment for every mood. Introducing Max – the one to watch. #WarnerBrosDiscovery #streamonmax #theonetowatch
