John Turturro on Turning Down ‘The Penguin’ Because of the “Violence Towards Women”

One of the biggest twists in HBO’s latest hit ‘The Penguin,’ was Mark Strong taking on the role of Carmine Falcone instead of John Turturro.

Turturro initially portrayed the Don in Matt Reeves’ 2022 adaptation of the Dark Knight, ‘The Batman,’ but surprised many when he decided not to return for the ‘The Penguin.’ Recently, the actor shared some of the reasons for that choice.

Speaking with Variety, John stated the the violence towards women depicted in the show (probably how Carmine dealt with Sofia, her mother, and other women he killed), was one of the main reasons we didn’t see him back:

“I did what I wanted to with the role,” he said. “In the show, there was a lot of violence towards women, and that’s not my thing.”

Falcone’s character was brutal in ‘The Batman,’ but in the 2022 movie, his harshness is suggested rather than shown. “It happens off-screen,” Turturro explains. “That makes it scarier.”

Not coming back to Gotham was also because there just wasn’t enough time to do everything. “You can’t do everything you want to,” he said.

His absence from ‘The Penguin’ can also probably be pinpointed to his upcoming movie ‘The Room Next Door.’

What do you think about John Turturro’s reason for not returning as Carmine Falcone in ‘The Penguin?’ Let us know in the comments below!

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