Actor Michael Zegen said that he shot his shocking scene in the premiere on the “first day” that “The Penguin” TV series started filming.
Zegen plays Alberto Falcone, the heir to the Falcone crime family, and he finds himself on the wrong side of Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) in the opening moments of the first episode, which aired Thursday.
The series revolves around Cobb in the aftermath of the 2022 movie “The Batman,” where the assassination of Carmine Falcone (played by John Turturro in the film and Mark Strong in the show’s flashbacks) has opened up a power vacuum in the criminal underworld.
Cobb sets out to take control of the empire for himself, and he gets started by impulsively shooting Alberto dead when the young mobster insults him during a drug-induced tirade.
The violent introduction makes it clear that Farrell’s character isn’t afraid to do whatever it takes to climb to the top.
Michael Zegen knew Alberto Falcone was going to die when he joined “The Penguin”
HBO
When speaking to Business Insider on the red carpet at “The Penguin” premiere in New York City on Tuesday, Zegen explained that he knew what was going to happen to Falcone when he joined the project.
“I was aware of his fate. The bottom line is I got to do this really cool 10-page scene with Colin Farrell, so I was happy. It was really special, he was incredible. It was the first day of the entire shoot,” he said.
“So I was nervous, he was nervous, we were all on the same page. It was nice to have that, despite the fact that he’s already a part of this universe,” Zegen added.
The star, best known for his starring role on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” also praised Farrell for his collaborative spirit on set.
Zegen explained: “He couldn’t have been nicer, he wasn’t like method or anything. At least, not with me, maybe with other people — I’m not sure. Maybe by the end, he was the Penguin, I don’t know. Any time we yelled cut, he’d be like, ‘Come over here, let’s run lines.’ And I really appreciated that.”
“I didn’t mind that I got killed! It was a good death scene! I got killed by Penguin, come on,” he added.
The opening episode makes it very clear that the show is dedicated to exploring Cobb in deeper ways than the film had time for. But because of that, don’t expect to see Robert Pattinson return as Batman on the small screen, as director Matt Reeves has already ruled it out.
“The Penguin” airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.
