The Batman Actor Explains He Declined Returning For The Penguin Because Of The DC Show"s Violence Toward Women: "That"s Not My Thing"

The Penguin has quickly become one of the most celebrated television series that the DC Universe has ever produced, although a certain member of The Batman"s cast is notably absent from the show, despite his character appearing in flashbacks. With a heavy focus on the crime war between Gotham"s two biggest criminal families, the Falcones and Maronis, the death of Carmine Falcone has weighed heavily on the series. With Carmine"s daughter, Sofia, taking a central role in the show, flashbacks have found a way to bring the character back.
John Turturro, known for his roles in The Big Lebowski and Mr. Deeds, played the villain Carmine Falcone in The Batman, but declined to return for The Penguin. Instead, the actor was recast with Mark Strong, who appeared in flashbacks depicting Sofia"s past. While it was previously reported that this was due to scheduling difficulties, new comments make it clear that was not entirely the case, but that Turturro decided not to return after discovering some of the new series" details.
Speaking with Variety to promote the upcoming season 2 of Severance, Turturro addressed his not appearing in the Gotham-set television series. He claimed that he had done what he wanted with the character and did not feel a draw to return. In addition, he added that “In the show, there was a lot of violence towards women, and that’s not my thing.” He went on, admitting that scheduling also led to this decision.
What John Turturro's Comments Mean Carmine Falcone Does Too Many Reprehensible Things Too Quickly In The Penguin Close Carmine Falcone was scripted to appear in "Cent"anni," the fourth episode of The Penguin, which focuses predominately on Sofia. While all kinds of violence against both men and women has occurred throughout the run of the show, this episode in particular is a difficult watch. Sofia is put through a number of incredibly difficult situations as she is framed by her father for a series of murders that he had himself committed against a series of women in Gotham.
The combination of all of these killings offscreen and the onscreen persecution of Sofia made for a harrowing and effective episode, although it surely would have turned some viewers off. With Carmine"s limited role in the series being especially focused around inflicting violence on women, it makes sense that Turturro felt somewhat uncomfortable with the direction of the role. While scheduling conflicts were previously cited for Turturro"s absence, this additional context does help to explain his decision not to return when considering the difficulty of playing a disturbing role like Carmine.
Our Take On John Turturro's Comments The Actor's Justification Makes More Sense When Recognizing Scheduling Conflicts Were Also In Play Close Though the actor credits the show"s violence against women as a reason for declining to appear, I believe that Turturro"s passing on the project was much more multifaceted. The actor did admit that, with his full schedule, “You can’t do everything you want to,” which has forced him to take a more critical eye to his projects. Turturro is an excellent actor, and it is disappointing not to see him in the series. However, the onscreen performance of Carmine Falcone is not nearly as important in The Penguin as it was in The Batman, and Mark Strong made for an excellent replacement.


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