The first season of The Penguin wrapped in dramatic fashion. After eight episodes of unflinching drama and heartbreaking consequences, fans and critics remain in consensus about one thing: Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti deserve all the awards after their outstanding performances as Oz Cobb and Sofia Falcone respectively.
In a press conference after the season finale, Farrell and Milioti joined showrunner Lauren LeFranc to discuss The Penguin and all the spoilerific events that transpired on the show. For Farrell, he sees no path of redemption for Oz, as he solidified himself as a truly heinous villain by killing his right-hand man Vic Aguilar and sending Sofia back to Arkham. At this point, the Penguin has everything he ever wanted as he’s now the top dog of Gotham City’s underworld.
Naturally, a lot of fans draw comparisons between The Penguin and The Sopranos because of the crime-drama element of both shows and the New Yorker accent that Oz and Tony Soprano share. However, Colin Farrell revealed that The Batman writer-director Matt Reeves modeled Oz after another infamous character from The Godfather instead.
“Fredo Corleone was an inspiration for Matt [Reeves] in initially designing Oz and the psychological state that Oz lives in,” Farrell said. “How he always felt he was outside and pitied all his life because of the disability Oz was born with. Fredo wasn’t as sharp, as intellectually muscular as his brothers, and he wasn’t trusted and he knew he wasn’t being reared to take over the family business or be part of the family business, really. [For Oz,] he was maligned, an outsider, and made to feel less than and that drives and compels him to move the way that he does.”
Farrell admitted that he didn’t think The Penguin would be as big of a hit as it was. While he was aware of the rumbling hype because of the success of The Batman and the general excitement surrounding comic book adaptations, he said that he was pleasantly surprised by how everyone got behind it.
Despite the character’s despicable actions and how difficult it was to film scenes such as Vic’s murder, Farrell joked that he has “an affection” for Oz, though he realizes he isn’t a good person at all. In addition, the actor explained how he relished being able to dig deeper into the character since he only had a few scenes in The Batman.
Farrell and Milioti remained tightlipped about the possibility of The Penguin Season 2. However, they both stated they would be happy to reprise these characters once again. Considering the success of the show, don’t bet against a second season being announced sooner rather than later.
RELATED: Why Colin Farrell’s Penguin Is Already Better Than Danny Devito’s
Tell us, do you see the link between The Godfather‘s Fredo Corleone and Colin Farrell’s Penguin?
The Penguin (TV series) |
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Following the events of The Batman (2022), Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. the Penguin, makes a play to seize the reins of the crime world in Gotham. |
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| Creator: Lauren LeFranc |
| Cast: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Theo Rossi, David H. Holmes, Myles Humphus, Hunter Emery, Clancy Brown, Carmen Ejogo, Scott Cohen, Michael Kelly |
| Genre: Crime, Drama, Fantasy |
| Number of Seasons: 1 |
| Streaming Service: HBO Max, Showmax |
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