Colin Farrell's Penguin manipulates the Falcone and Maroni families into orchestrating their own demise, a wildcard has emerged: Carmine Falcone's daughter, Sofia, played by Cristin Milioti. Episode four of the series, "Cent'Anni," explores her backstory and reveals the scope of her victimhood and resilience in a way that caught many viewers off guard. The underworld of Gotham City depicted in The Penguin may be devoid of heroes, but the various villains and their tussle over control of the city has viewers choosing sides all the same.

Meanwhile, Sofia has her mother's cousin, Johnny Viti, played by Michael Kelly, held hostage in the family crypt, tied up in unflattering BDSM gear and slowly freezing to death. His relationship with Sofia is complicated, due to his failed attempt to get her and her mother to leave the Falcone family years ago, before Sofia was sent away to Arkham Asylum. The Penguin works as a series because the characters are written to be empathetic, even while functioning as outright villains with varying levels of horrific depravity. For Sofia Falcone, the viewer can't help but cheer her on as she overthrows her wicked family, since, as Cristin Milioti says, "They had it coming."

At NYCC 2024, ScreenRant interviewed both Cristin Milioti and Michael Kelly about their work on The Penguin. They talk about their characters and the tragedy and rebirth of Sofia Falcone as one of the most dangerous figures in Gotham City. Kelly spoke about his character's lament regarding Sofia, while Miloti pondered the potential future reckoning or redemption Sofia might face in the future.

Cristin Milioti On The Pathos & Potential Future Of The Penguin's Sofia Falcone

"I've been waiting to play someone like this character for my whole life."

Screen Rant: You play a character who is at once terrifying, but also sympathetic. Do you feel like Sophia crosses the line where her personal damage, which we've studied at length in episode four, are we at the point where you kind of have to go, well, that's too bad, because now she's a rampaging monster.

Cristin Milioti: Like, how do I feel about that? It's different because I play her. I feel like, I mean, it's tricky. I understand why she does it, but whether or not it's justified... Would I ever condone that in the world? No, but I really understand her and I root for her, especially the way that we leave episode four... They had it coming. (Laughs) You know? They really did.

And Gotham City is a place, whatever version of Gotham it may be, from Adam West onward, their mental health system is just not where it needs to be.

Cristin Milioti: It's not up to snuff. It certainly isn't.

These people who need the kind of help that they are clearly not getting at Arkham.

Cristin Milioti: For sure. No. It's the last place on Earth they should go.

Is there, in your opinion, a road where Sophia can be redeemed and somehow come back from what she's done? Or is the best she can hope is to die in her sleep?

Cristin Milioti: I wouldn't write her off, but... I think she is. I think she has become who she's become and there's no going back. And to your point, what is the most peaceful end for someone who's like engaging in this level? That's probably the most peaceful end.

In these stories, the end is... Well, probably getting punched out by The Batman.

Cristin Milioti: It's never peaceful. Yeah.

Tell me about the scars. They're beautiful in their way, and she increasingly shows them. She goes from this buttoned-up look, with the scarves and the long sleeves and the buttons, it's like her Hannibal Lecter straitjacket. But as it goes on, she shows more skin and doesn't hide her scars anymore.

Cristin Milioti: That was something that was always in the script. And Lauren felt very strongly about that from the beginning. All of our costume fittings were very much in service of that, of like, how do you button someone up? But there's something clearly roiling beneath the surface of someone who looks very buttoned up. And everything is covered. Even her family is asking for that, maybe not directly, but none of them want to acknowledge what happened to her.

I love that she starts to show them. In fact, that dinner scene, which is one of my favorite scenes, the fact that it's the first time she lets everyone see what she actually has all over her body is like, it's like, chills for me. I loved that detail. They made her. And now they want her to hide. And they want her to go away again.

They want to hide what they did to her. It's incredible. You've created this character. I mean, you and everybody involved, writing, makeup, costume, you created this character that is, singular, we haven't seen before. What more can I ask for as a viewer?

Cristin Milioti: That's how I feel! I've been waiting to play someone like this character for my whole life. When I was growing up, pretending in my backyard after I would see Batman movies, I would pretend to be this. And so, to get to do it in life and to get to experience people enjoying it is just great.

The Penguin's Michael Kelly Explains Johnny Viti's Tragic Relationship With Sofia Falcone

"I don't think he ever hated her or disliked her. He hated that her mother died because of her."

Screen Rant: First of all, I feel like you're kind of the closest to a normal guy on the show.

Michael Kelly: (Laughs) Yeah.

That being said, given your character's current state on the show, my question is, how long do you have to be tied up in that bondage gear before you start to dislike it or before you start to like it? What's the what's the mathematics on that?

Michael Kelly: (Laughs) There would have to be a little different scenarios going on for me to like it. And I could see a situation in which that would happen. That being said, that day was brutal. That was a full, full filming day, a full day. Sitting on concrete. When it wasn't a wide shot, they give me a small concrete pad. I'm not kidding.

Thicker or thinner than a yoga mat?

Michael Kelly: About the same. Painted the same as the floor. It was a rough day. It was very, very rough. But, in many ways, getting to do that scene with her...

I mean, she's so good, like so good. Such a phenomenal actress. And to get to play with her like that, like it sort of pulled out a lot of the pain and suffering that I actually went through that day. I pulled a lot of that out because she is such a f***ing powerhouse and such a talented actress. It's like, I get to play in this world? It's incredible.

Well, kind of related to that, Johnny Viti laments how things went with Sofia's mother. Tell me a little bit about the pathos of your character and those family ties.

Michael Kelly: Well, I looked at Johnny Viti a little, and I kind of tried to pull him out of the world in a way that... Well, in that mafia world, there's the ideal of what's considered the soldier, right? The perfect soldier. And while everyone else is grasping for different elements of power, I don't feel like Johnny Viti is doing that. I feel like Johnny is like, I know my job. My job is to take this business and move it forward and do it in the most efficient way possible. So, Oz, if you're in the way, I'm going to take you out of the way. And Sofia, if I have to deal with you, I'll have to deal with you because I'm just running a business. Johnny's a businessman. That's why I made his accent a little bit less than the others. I made him more just like, "This is my job. It's what I do for a living."

It's not a one-to-one comparison, but he's the Tom Hagen of the gang.

Michael Kelly: He's Tom Hagen, (laughs) exactly! He is. I think for him, the family is very real. Part of what he says to Sofia in that scene in episode five in the mausoleum basement there, part of what he says is him trying to get out of it and save his own ass.

But a lot of that, I made it to where it was very real to him. His love for her mother, his cousin, was very real. I wanted that to be real and personal. The way that the father felt about seeing the mother for the first time and being so smitten. I wanted that to be very real. There's things he says, like, "You're going to need me. You need me. If you go it alone, you're going to lose." That's his way of saying, "Get me out of here and put me in a safe place. Give me some clothes again." But I feel like a lot of it, a lot of the other stuff was very real. Very real.

And, you know, to that reality, tell me how he feels about Sofia at this point. Is there like a sliver of hope in his mind that she can be saved? Or is he just like, she's not the same person anymore?

Michael Kelly: I think he can. I think he does. I think he sees her for the force that she is. I don't think he ever hated her or disliked her. He hated that her mother died because of her. And not because of her actions, but because of her love for her, right? And he hated that. Because he knew that if she had just come and jumped in that car that he had waiting for her, she'd still be alive today. And then maybe the daughter wouldn't be f***ed up. Maybe the son wouldn't be dead. Maybe everything would be different.

More About The Penguin Season 1

Starring Colin Farrell as The Penguin, the eight-episode DC Studios drama series continues The Batman epic crime saga that filmmaker Matt Reeves began with Warner Bros. Pictures’ global blockbuster “The Batman,” and centers on the character played by Farrell in the film. The first look was revealed today exclusively during Warner Bros. Discovery’s unveiling of the Max streaming service on the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles. The previously announced cast includes Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Deirdre O’Connell, with Clancy Brown and Michael Zegen recurring.

Check out our other NYCC 2024 interviews here:

• The Penguin Cast & Crew
• Cross Cast & Crew
• Lumina Director
• Jason Blum on Blumhouse 2025 Slate

New episodes of The Penguin air Sundays on HBO at 9pm ET.