The Curious Case of John Turturro Not Returning for The Penguin

HBO’s The Penguin has a ton of connections to Matt Reeves’ The Batman, but one is proving more interesting than others. In Reeves’ film, John Turturro played crime boss Carmine Falcone, a character who returns in flashbacks for The Penguin. There he’s played by Mark Strong. Showrunner Lauren LeFranc previously said Turturro didn’t return due to “scheduling conflicts” but the actor has now come out with another reason, one that LeFranc respects but we don’t think quite fits.

Speaking to Variety, The Big Lebowski actor said the reason for not returning to the role went beyond scheduling. “I did what I wanted with the role,” he said. “In the show, there was a lot of violence towards women, and that’s not my thing.”

Speaking to the Wrap, LeFranc responded, saying she was under the impression it was the scheduling but still respects the actor’s decision. “I completely respect an actor who doesn’t want to take on a role for whatever their personal reasons,” LeFranc said. “I only want people to join our show who are excited and want to further the story we’re trying to tell. I think Mark Strong did a really fantastic job. He made the character his own and also really honored what John Turturro did.”

It’s true that on The Penguin things dive deeper into the violent side of Carmine Falcone. It’s revealed he killed his wife as well as several other women by strangulation and then framed his daughter for it, sending her to prison for a decade and turning the whole family against her. However, at least through the most recent episode of the show, we never watch him actually be violent towards women. In fact, he’s not even on screen that often. That’s in contrast to the movie where Turturro’s version of the character attempts to strangle and kill Selena Kyle, played by Zoe Kravitz, on screen. So, clearly, Turturro was okay with that, though his character is ultimately killed in the end.

“Carmine in the movie killed Selina Kyle’s mother and then does try to actively kill Selina, and also kills Annika—Selina’s friend,” LeFranc said. “I think it’s been established, and Matt [Reeves] and I are in agreement on this, that Carmine’s a very violent man and has a violent streak against women.”

Certainly, The Penguin is not a tame show and there is violence towards women as well as men. In the most recent episode, a mother and son are burned alive in front of our eyes. And, if Turturro is referring to that, it’s a fair point. Plus, we don’t know what’s in store over the next few episodes. But you assume he’s speaking in regards to his character and, if that’s the case, saying Carmine Falcone is more violent in The Penguin than The Batman is certainly up for debate.

See for yourself. Both The Penguin and The Batman are currently streaming on Max.

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