Cristin Milioti talks about the “Penguin” transformation

From the moment she first appears on HBO’s, there’s a soft focus over Oz Cobb’s shoulder The penguin In the series premiere, Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone is a captivating, frightening, vivid presence; Her opaque eyes showed nothing and aggressively advertised her widely suspected instability – Sure, I’m crazy, do you want to see how crazy?

For Milioti (How I met your mother, Black mirror), the character represents a long-achieved goal: taking on an important role in a superhero project. And because crime boss Carmine Falcone’s daughter had so little comic and film history, Milioti and showrunner Lauren LeFranc were able to create her character almost entirely from scratch, bringing to life the rare so-called villain from the DC Universe that feels completely new .

While critics have been full of praise early on (some already predicting an Emmy nomination), and the show’s ratings suggest the limited series is a hit (its debut topped last season’s premieres). Consequence And The White Lotus), fans actually haven’t seen anything yet. Milioti’s performance takes some intense turns as it progresses. Below, the actress talks about how she landed the role and how she approached the character, which she describes as “one of my favorite things I’ve done in my entire life.”

So when The penguin When the reviews came out you probably knew you did great, but when everyone started saying that, it must have felt pretty good.

I didn’t feel that way. I don’t think I’ll ever feel quite that way. I don’t read reviews. I’m too much of a scaredy cat. But I heard a general weather report that people liked the show, and that was enough. Then I stuck my head back in the sand. It’s always very nerve-wracking to share your work with the world.

What was your first reaction when you heard about the character Sofia Falcone?

I was a little freaked out with excitement. I’ve dreamed of playing someone like that for a long time. I’m also a big Batman fan and have dreamed of playing a villain in the Batman universe since I was a little kid. Growing up, I used to pretend to be a Batman villain in my backyard. And when it first came to my mind, I wanted it in a very deep way. After signing up and reading more and more scripts, I was blown away that I would be able to do this. It was very profound. I just love her. It’s one of my favorite things I’ve been able to do in my entire life.

I heard you say in another interview that you tried other roles in superhero films and were rejected. Have you asked yourself, “Do I just not fit in this world?” Was there a particular project that felt like the one that came through?

There were a few of them. I love superhero films and have tested many of them. If someone my age was there, I was probably ready for it on different levels. I made some of them into the final round. And yeah, you actually start to think, “Oh, okay, I guess I’m just not cut out for this.” And then I felt like, “I really understand this character,” and it felt kind of fateful. Unlike the others, I understand why I didn’t get this one. Secure.

Like they weren’t built for you, but they are.

It just never worked. But I felt like I understood her completely and was obsessed with her from the start. And that’s one of the great things about getting older: you start to feel like the role you’re supposed to find is supposed to find you, and that’s all good. Everyone is on their own path. I’m grateful I didn’t get those jobs because I wasn’t necessarily supposed to play Sofia.

Sofia has such an impressive charisma and is so present. She also has this hardness, this wall. I know this question is going to be something like, “How does acting work?” But how did you get into the mode?

I have my little preparations and processes that I do. A lot of that was in the writing as well, and so much of it was that I felt like I understood this woman. I also worked with a movement trainer and that was very helpful in finding little things here and there. And I have a playlist – everything actors talk about. But I really wanted to build this person, and once I started building it, and once I started getting into it, I was able to find ways to hold on.

Have you studied the other types of Falcone actors? As I was watching one of your scenes, a scene suddenly came to mind Batman begins as Tom Wilkinson’s Carmine Falcone taunts Bruce Wayne by saying, “Your old man begged for mercy.” Begged. Like a dog.” Sofia reminded me of his behavior and performance.

Oh my God. First of all, a big compliment. Solid. I saw John Turturro [who played Carmine in The Batman] because I wanted to sound like him. First discovering that accent, but then thinking about someone who has been missing for 10 years and what that does to a person and how that shapes them. But I’ve seen a lot of him and of course I know Tom Wilkinson’s performance. They both have this icy coldness that changes in the blink of an eye. Then I thought, “Okay, I get it, I’ll walk away from it now.” [from watching anybody else].”

It’s a funny dynamic in the series because we can see that Oz is trying to play Sofia, but she always knows he’s playing her, at least to some extent. We simply don’t know to what extent she knows.

Right, exactly. It’s an adorable cat-and-mouse game that’s also a lot of fun to modulate.

I think Farrell’s makeup and prosthetics helped in a way because he becomes such a grotesque character to play against.

It was incredibly helpful. To me, Oz Cobb feels incredibly real. I felt like I was really with him. Of course I know it’s Colin. And we sat there and talked [between takes] talk about how things are going, like you do at work. But it’s so strange. I just watched the first four episodes a few weeks ago and it was like seeing an old friend again because I spent eight months with him. It’s a very surreal experience that I don’t know I’ll ever have again.

The penguin releases new episodes Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO/Max.