John Turturro delivered a stellar performance as Carmine Falcone in The Batman, making him a key player in Gotham's criminal underworld. Fans were eager to see him reprise the role in the DC Universe's spin-off series The Penguin, which continues the gritty saga.
However, Turturro has now taken many people by surprise by choosing not to return for the show. This decision has also been subjected to many questions about his reasons for stepping away. Initially attributed to scheduling conflicts, it was later revealed that the actor's decision was more complex.
The actor left the show due to some personal concerns over the show's direction. To be even more specific, Turturro left the show since, due to being uncomfortable with the depiction of violence toward women in the series.
The official summary of The Penguin reads as below:
Following the events of The Batman (2022), Oz Cobb, a.k.a. the Penguin, makes a play to seize the reins of the crime world in Gotham.
Why did John Turturro decline to return as Carmine Falcone in The Penguin ?
John Turturro has been a key figure in the series The Penguin, but recently his deicions of pulling away from the show have taken the fans by storm. After much speculation, it was finally revealed that the decision was due to his moral conscience pricking him.
It was brought to light that he in fact refused to return to the show not because of any scheduling conflict, but rather due to the violence the show depicts towards women.
The show going in flashback and depicting violent crimes being inflicted on women is something that John found to be very problematic. The actor made it clear that such content was “not my thing,” contributing to his refusal to return to the show.
In an interview, he pointed out that:
"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.”
This one statement from John has given fans a lot of clarity. Up until now, there were only rumors that the role had been taken up by Mark Strong due to scheduling issues.
He has had his morals preceed everything else, showing he is a man of great dignity. Although the series received praise for its complex storytelling, Turturro’s moral discomfort with the portrayal of violence toward women led to his thoughtful decision to step away from the role.
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