John Turturro famously portrayed Carmine Falcone in Robert Pattinson’s The Batman, but the actor refused to return for The Penguin due to an oddly personal reason. His character in the film is depicted as one of Gotham’s most notable and feared mafiosi, and it seems like this became a problem for Turturro.
Falcone’s daughter, Sofia, gets a significant role in the television series which requires the criminal boss to make a comeback through flashback scenes. With Turturro out of the project, he was recast with actor Mark Strong taking over the role.
Fans Mocked John Turturro’s Choice Not to Return for The Penguin
The early reports on John Turturro’s absence in The Penguin claimed scheduling conflict was the culprit. As he spoke with Variety, he gave a clearer response on why he decided to leave Gotham City for good.
I did what I wanted to with the role. In the show, there was a lot of violence towards women, and that’s not my thing.
His character’s brutality radiated throughout The Batman, but the majority was implied rather than explicitly depicted on the screen. He said that what happens off-screen is way scarier. Turturro also remarked that his departure from the show was partly because there were more opportunities than time.
Fans are not happy with this news, but more so because they believe his answer contradicted what his character did in the 2022 movie. The mafia lord notably strangled Selina Kyle’s mother as established in the Robert Pattinson-starrer film, as well as the fourth episode of The Penguin revealing that he murdered seven women.
On X, netizens made fun of Turturro’s statement with some fans mocking his choice to drop the character due to extreme violence against women. Check out their tweets below:
He literally choked a girl in the Batman what😭😭
— Wybie (@Wybieemory) October 23, 2024
He killed one woman, talked about killing another, and tried to kill Selena in The Batman so not sure what he is talking about.
— Moosey (@0nlyMeez) October 23, 2024
Bro, what? 1. It’s called “acting.” Chill. 2. Do you not remember what your character did in the movie?
— Joey (@SoManyWays2Joey) October 23, 2024
Nigga was chokin bitches in the movie 😂
— UpsetSportsFan (@GabrielDeShawn) October 23, 2024
“They didn’t offer me enough money for a 10 minute cameo role”
fixed it for ya
— RedTeamReview ✪ (@RedTeamReview) October 23, 2024
While it is true that brutality is a huge part of the franchise’s narrative, it is certainly not glorifying violence in any shape or form. It shows the repercussions and how they affect every single character in the story.
The Penguin Showrunner Comments on John Turturro’s Exit
Showrunner Lauren LeFranc reacted to Turturro’s decision not to reprise his role as Carmine Falcone and told TheWrap that she respects his choice. Furthermore, the producer noted that she only wants to work with actors who are truly excited to be part of the team.
Somewhere in the interview, LeFranc acknowledged that Falcone is indeed “a very violent man and has a violent streak against women” and that Mark Strong did a great job filling in the shoes of the criminal boss and honoring what Turturro did in the movie.
The Penguin is currently streaming on HBO.
