And yet, the series does not feel like a “comic book show.”
That’s since been dispelled.
“The thing for me was to absorb all of that stuff and feel it vibrating.”
Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone in ‘The Penguin’.HBO
He just has to contend with a few other power players looking to do the same.
When LeFranc began her brainstorm, she strategized who could populate Oz’s orbit.
Sofia was one such comic character that stood out to LeFranc, given her close proximity to Carmine.
Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone in ‘The Penguin’.HBO
She’s now the other main lead figure ofThe Penguinnext to Oz.
For the show, LeFranc had more of a real-world connection.
Eventually she got a lobotomy.
Deirdre O’Connell as Francis Cobb in ‘The Penguin’.Macall Polay/HBO
It’s a very tragic story, but I thought about that in relation to Carmine and Sofia.
What if she came from Arkham State Hospital?
Did she deserve to go to Arkham?"
Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar in ‘The Penguin’.Macall Polay/HBO
“Sofia starts as a character who’s a little bit of a cipher,” LeFranc continues.
“You don’t understand what happened to her.
You don’t understand what her agenda fully is.
You just know that she throws Oz off.
There’s power in throwing a guy like Oz off because he’s not easily thrown.
As the character evolves, we really deepen her more.”
However, Oz’s most complicated relationship is with his mother.
She has these spells where she almost speaks in Shakespearean tongues whenever her son comes to check on her.
Farrell notes how significant a role Oz’s childhood with Francis plays in the series.
Reeves recalls LeFranc’s pitch for the series.
This is the wrong moment to be in that place and trying to rip off this guy’s car.
This is a disaster.'
He meets Oz and there’s this whole thing.
Is he going to kill this kid?"
“Victor and Oz are kind of like the upside down Batman and Robin,” Farrell posits.
“Victor is his cohort, his conciliary.
“We learned this onPlanet of the Apes.”
Let’s now see how the Bat-verse benefits from that tactic.
