HBO’s Penguin has many connections with Matt Reeves’ Batman, but it was proven that one of them is more intriguing than the others. In Reeves’ film, John Turturro played the crime boss Carmine Falcone, a character that returns in the past memories of The Penguin. There he is played by Mark Strong. Showrunner Lauren LeFranc previously stated that Turturro did not return due to “scheduling conflicts” but the actor has now exited for another reason, a reason that LeFranc respects but we don’t think is entirely suitable.
In conversation with Variety, The Big Lebowski actor mentioned that the reason for not returning to the role exceeded the schedule. He said: “I did what I wanted with this role.” “In the show, there was a lot of violence against women, and that’s not something that interests me.”
In her conversation with The Wrap, LeFranc responded saying she had the impression that the scheduling was set but she still respects the actor’s decision. LeFranc said: “I fully respect an actor who doesn’t want to take on a role no matter what their personal reasons are.” “I just want people who are passionate to join our show and want to enhance the story we are trying to tell. I think Mark Strong did a really great job. He made the character his own, and he truly respects what John Turturro did.
True, on The Penguin things dive deeper into the violent side of Carmine Falcone. It was revealed that he killed his wife in addition to several other women by strangulation and framed his daughter for it, sending her to prison for ten years and turning the whole family against her. However, at least in the last episode of the show, we never see him act violently towards women. In fact, he doesn’t appear on screen much. This is in contrast to the film where Turturro’s version of the character is seen strangling and killing Selina Kyle, played by Zoe Kravitz, on screen. So, it is clear that Turturro was okay with that, even though his character was ultimately killed in the end.
LeFranc said: “Carmine killed Selina Kyle’s mother in the movie and then tried to kill Selina, and also killed Anika – Selina’s friend.” “I think it has been proven, and I and Matt (Reeves) agree on it, that Carmine is a very violent man with a violent tendency towards women.”
Certainly, The Penguin is not a tame show and there is violence towards women as well as men. In the last episode, a mother and her son are burnt alive in front of us. If Turturro is referring to that, it’s a fair point. In addition, we don’t know what the series has in store for us in the coming few episodes. But you assume that he is speaking about his character, and if so, then the statement that Carmine Falcone is more violent in The Penguin than Batman is definitely up for debate.
See for yourself. Both The Penguin and Batman are currently streaming on Max.
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