John Turturro turned down 'The Penguin' over 'violence against ...
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John Turturro declined to reprise his role as mobster Carmine Falcone in "The Penguin" because the show featured "violence against women."
The actor starred in Matt Reeves' "The Batman" as Falcone, a powerful figure in Gotham's criminal underworld who is killed by The Riddler (Paul Dano) because the gangster is heavily involved with institutional corruption in the city.
"The Penguin" is set immediately after the movie, but features flashbacks involving a younger version of Falcone, played by Mark Strong.
Turturro told Variety he chose not to return to the role because of the violence against women in the HBO series. "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," he said.
Turturro also discussed his character's violence in "The Batman," saying, "It happens off-screen. It's scarier that way."
In the film, Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz) discovers that Falcone (who is her father) murdered her mother, and her friend, Annika (Hana Hrzic). Toward the end of the film, the gangster attempts to brutally murder Kyle with a pool cue, before Batman (Robert Pattinson) stops him.
"The Penguin" showrunner Lauren LeFranc responded to Turturro's comments when speaking to The Wrap.
She said: "I completely respect an actor who doesn't want to take on a role for whatever their personal reasons. 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."
LeFranc added: "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."
The depiction of violence against women in film and TV has become under scrutiny in recent years. In 2018, Oscar-winning actor Jessica Chastain discussed the topic on X when criticizing Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill."
She wrote: "When violence against women is used as a plot device to make the characters stronger then we have a problem. It is not empowering to be beaten and raped, yet so many films make it their 'phoenix' moment for women. We don't need abuse in order to be powerful. We already are."
More recently, controversy surrounded "It Ends With Us" in which Blake Lively plays a florist who finds herself in an abusive relationship. Critics and fans hit out at the film for romanticizing domestic abuse.
In August, Lively told BBC News it was made "with lots of empathy."
"Lily is a survivor and a victim and while they are huge labels, these are not her identity. She defines herself and I think it's deeply empowering that no one else can define you."
