Oz Cobb isn't the Penguin you grew up with. Forget the monocle and the literal bird-umbrella. In HBO’s gritty expansion of the Matt Reeves Batverse, the character has been stripped of the camp and rebuilt into something that feels dangerously close to a mid-level mob boss you’d see in a Scorsese flick. But while the heavy prosthetics get all the press, the real magic of the Penguin series cast lies in the chemistry between a unrecognizable A-lister and a supporting lineup that basically steals every scene they're in.
It’s messy. It’s violent.
Honestly, watching Colin Farrell disappear under pounds of silicone is one thing, but seeing how the rest of the ensemble reacts to him is what makes this show work. You’ve got Cristin Milioti playing a character so volatile she makes Oz look like a stable businessman. Then there’s the younger talent and the veteran character actors filling the power vacuum left by Carmine Falcone.
Colin Farrell and the Disappearance of a Movie Star
Most people know Farrell as the guy from The Banshees of Inisherin or True Detective. He’s handsome. He’s got that Irish charm. In The Penguin, he is literally gone. Mike Marino, the prosthetic designer, turned him into a scarred, limping, heavy-set enforcer who breathes like he’s constantly fighting for air.
He stayed in character on set. A lot.
Farrell’s Oz isn't a mastermind yet. He’s a striver. He’s the guy who wants the respect he thinks he’s earned but never gets. What’s wild about his performance is how he uses his eyes—since the rest of his face is buried—to convey this desperate, needy ambition. He’s a "sub-boss" in the Falcone crime family, and his journey is basically a masterclass in how to lie your way to the top. It’s interesting to note that Farrell has mentioned in several interviews, including with Variety, how grueling the four-hour makeup chair was every morning. That physical discomfort clearly bled into the performance, giving Oz a perpetual irritability that fits the Gotham underworld perfectly.
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Sofia Falcone is the Real MVP
If you went into this thinking it was just the "Colin Farrell Show," you were wrong.
Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone is the best thing to happen to DC television in years. Period. Fresh out of Arkham State Hospital, Sofia is the daughter of the late Carmine Falcone, and she is terrifying. She doesn't scream. She doesn't need to. Milioti plays her with this wide-eyed, haunting stillness that makes you feel like she’s always three seconds away from a mental break or a murder.
Usually, in mob stories, the women are sidelined as wives or victims. Not here. Sofia is the primary antagonist and, at times, a dark mirror to Oz. They have this shared history—he used to be her driver—and that dynamic creates a layer of tension that carries the entire series. When Sofia walks into a room, the air leaves it. Milioti, known for her roles in Palm Springs and Black Mirror, brings a level of prestige acting to a "comic book" show that elevates the whole project.
The Rest of the Gotham Power Vacuum
You can't have a mob war with just two people. The supporting the Penguin series cast is stacked with faces you’ll recognize even if you don't know their names.
- Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar: He’s the heart of the show, which is a dangerous thing to be in Gotham. Victor is a kid from Crown Point who Oz takes under his wing after a botched attempt to boost his rims. It’s a weird, surrogate-father-slash-boss relationship. Feliz brings a necessary vulnerability that reminds us just how much the "little guys" suffer while the titans fight for control.
- Deirdre O'Connell as Francis Cobb: Oz’s mother is not a sweet old lady. She’s tough, she’s demanding, and she’s the only person Oz truly fears or cares about. Her performance adds a psychological depth to Oz that explains why he is the way he is. He’s a momma’s boy with a body count.
- Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni: A legend. Brown plays the rival crime boss currently sitting in Blackgate Prison. Even from a cell, he’s imposing. The history between Maroni and the Falcones is deep, and Brown plays that bitterness with a grit that only a veteran actor of his caliber can pull off.
- Michael Zegen as Alberto Falcone: Sofia’s brother and the heir apparent to the Falcone empire. Zegen, who many know from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, plays Alberto as a drug-addicted, weak link in the chain. His presence—or lack thereof—is the catalyst for the entire plot.
Why This Cast Works Better Than Other Superhero Shows
Most superhero spin-offs feel like "content." They feel like they exist to fill a gap in a streaming schedule. The Penguin feels like a prestige crime drama that just happens to take place in a city where a guy in a bat costume might show up.
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There is a gritty realism to the acting.
Take Michael Kelly, who plays Johnny Viti. Kelly is the king of playing the "efficient, slightly cold professional" (see: House of Cards). Here, as the Falcone family underboss, he provides the perfect bureaucratic foil to Oz’s chaotic maneuvering. He represents the "old guard" of the mob, the guys who think they can keep things running the way they always have.
They can't.
The casting directors, Francine Maisler and her team, clearly looked for actors who could handle the darkness of the scripts by Lauren LeFranc. There isn't a lot of "winking" at the camera. Nobody is making jokes about the Caped Crusader. They are playing the stakes as if this were a documentary about the fall of the Italian-American Mafia in the 1970s.
Misconceptions About the Lineup
Some fans were annoyed when the show first started that we wouldn't see Robert Pattinson’s Batman. People thought the cast wouldn't be "big" enough to carry a show without a superhero.
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That was a mistake.
By removing the distraction of the Bat-Signal, the cast has room to breathe. You actually get to care about characters like Victor or understand the tragedy of Sofia Falcone’s past. If Batman were there, everyone would just be waiting for the fight scenes. Instead, we get these long, tense dialogue scenes in dark restaurants and rain-slicked alleys.
A Note on the "Penguin" Himself
Colin Farrell has talked about how he won't do this role forever. The makeup is too much. It’s physically exhausting. But for this specific window of time, he and the rest of the the Penguin series cast have managed to do something rare: they’ve made a villain the most sympathetic and most loathsome person on television simultaneously.
It’s a tightrope walk.
One minute you’re rooting for Oz because he’s an underdog being bullied by the wealthy Falcone elite. The next minute, he does something so heinous you remember he’s a monster. That shift doesn't happen without a cast that can handle the nuances of "grey" morality.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Creators
If you are looking at how this series succeeded where others failed, there are a few specific things to watch for during your next rewatch or when analyzing the production:
- Watch the "Power Dynamics" in Silence: Pay attention to the scenes where Sofia and Oz are in the same room but not talking. The way the actors use body language—Farrell’s heavy-set waddle versus Milioti’s stiff, predatory posture—tells more about their relationship than the dialogue.
- The "Grounded" Rule: Notice how the cast avoids "comic book acting." There are no monologues about world domination. The stakes are always personal: money, respect, or staying out of jail. This is a key takeaway for anyone writing in the genre.
- Prosthetics as a Tool, Not a Gimmick: Analyze how Farrell uses the makeup. He doesn't let it do the work for him. He pushes through it. If you're a performer or creator, it's a lesson in not letting the "costume" become the character.
- Supporting Character Autonomy: Observe how Victor Aguilar has his own internal life and goals that aren't just "helping the protagonist." This makes the world feel lived-in and real.
The show isn't just a bridge between movies. It's a standalone character study that proves you don't need a cape to make a comic book world feel vital and terrifying.