New York Comic Con kicked off Thursday with a panel featuring The Penguin's cast and crew. Attending were Lauren LeFranc (Showrunner and Executive Producer), Colin Farrell (Oz Cobb and Executive Producer), Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Deirdre O'Connell (Francis Cobb), Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti), Clancy Brown (Sal Maroni), and Mike Marino (Prosthetic Makeup Designer). With the show now halfway through the season, they came together to discuss their experiences so far as well as teasing things to come over the next four weeks.
Each of the panelists talked about their inspirations for the show, including comics and past adaptations of the characters. Lauren LeFranc grew up reading comics, especially X-Men, and eventually made her way into DC with characters like Batman and Superman. Penguin's appearances over the years have constantly changed, and "Oz" is one more iteration in that line. Danny DeVito's Penguin especially served as a big influence for LeFranc. Colin Farrell, on the other hand, has a different reference point than one might expect. He grew up watching Burgess Meredith on the Adam West Batman show, and hopes that his portrayal could make Meredith proud. One way he pays homage to the classic character is with subtle touches like using a cigar in place of his iconic cigarette holder.
While we might not see a top hat in the show, Mike Marino discussed all that went into transforming Colin Farrell into "The Penguin." The amount of makeup and prosthetics required was an enormous task and would, at times, leave Farrell in a dressing room for hours on end. When he was initially trying out for the role, the original plan only included some makeup and a prosthetic nose. By the end of it, he said it felt less like a costume and more like puppeteering a complex, human-size marionette and didn't recognize himself in the mirror.
Each actor had their own take on the way their character related to the brutal world of Gotham. A common theme that came up, again and again, was the effects of nature vs. nurture. Oz's appearance and club foot have always put him at a disadvantage, but the desire to feel strong and accepted pushes him to fight his way to the top. However, his ascent into power is coupled with a descent into madness throughout the show. Deirdre O'Connell pointed out how it's Francis' pride as a mother that drives her to both "arm" Oz and turn him into a weapon.
Rhenzy Feliz expands on that by pointing out how Oz continues the cycle by mentoring Vic whom he can both control and project himself onto. For Vic, Oz offers an opportunity for something bigger and more exciting after the tragedy that befell his family. In addition to the money, he sees a confidence in Oz that's inspiring for someone in his position.
Mirroring Oz is Sofia Falcone, as Milioti discusses how Sofia was shaped by the horrible thing that happened to her. We'll never know what might have happened had she not been institutionalized, but now she feels as though she is owed power as the only thing that can make up for what happened to her. Lauren talked about how the real-life story of Rosemary Kennedy was a major influence on Sofia's character. Both were instances of an innocent woman being forcibly put in a mental asylum by the powerful men in their families simply because they were an inconvenience to them. It allowed the show to explore a character slowly become such a terrifying and powerful villain based on circumstances outside their control. Sofia's gradual acceptance and even embracing of her scars is a big part of that.
As for what's coming next, the cast was rather tight-lipped on details. Clancy Brown teased that Salvatore is "biding his time" and is very self-posessed "until he's not". He couldn't say exactly where his character was headed, only that "he's not given up". When asked what Batman villain might get the TV show treatment next, the panelists only joked that if they said anyone other than Penguin, Oz would come after them.
While the cast might not have been able to speak freely on the final four episodes of the show, we were treated to a new mid-season trailer showing a sneak peek of what's to come:
New episodes of The Penguin air Sundays at 9PM. Stay tuned for more coverage of NYCC here at Batman News.
