John Turturro reveals why he turned down ‘Batman’ role in spinoff ‘The Penguin’

This article features spoilers for the 2022 Matt Reeves film “The Batman” — for those who haven’t seen it yet.
John Turturro had a good reason not to reprise his “Batman” role in HBO’s spinoff series “The Penguin.”
The Emmy Award-winning actor says he turned down the chance to return to the role of gangster Carmine Falcone due to “violence against women.”
The ratings juggernaut, led by Colin Farrell, takes place shortly after the events of 2022’s “The Batman.” Though Falcone was killed by The Riddler in the film, the new series features flashbacks of the crime kingpin.
“I did what I wanted to with the role,” he told Variety this week. “In the show, there was a lot of violence towards women, and that’s not my thing.”
The 67-year-old Brooklyn native added that while Falcone was also guilty of murdering several women, the violence in “The Batman” was implied rather than shown onscreen.
Lauren LeFranc, the showrunner for “The Penguin,” applauded Turturro for sticking to his values.
“I completely respect an actor who doesn’t want to take on a role for whatever their personal reasons,” she told The Wrap in response to Turturro’s comments, agreeing that Falcone “is a very violent man and has a violent streak against women.”
British actor Mark Strong, who appeared in “Kick-Ass,” “Green Lantern” and “Shazam!,” replaced Turturro as the crime boss in the new Gotham-based series.
“I think Mark Strong did a really fantastic job,” LeFranc added. “He made the character his own and also really honored what John Turturro did.”
Turturro, meanwhile, is getting ready to release the second season of the award-winning Apple TV+ psychological thriller “Severance,” due to premiere Jan. 17.