Fox’s Batman prequel series Gotham is all new tonight with “The Balloonman”, and The Penguin is coming back to town. Robin Lord Taylor’s (Walking Dead) performance as Oswald Cobblepot has taken audiences, and frat boy, captive. Now Taylor is opening up about how he landed the role.
The official plot synopsis for tonight’s all new episode, titled “The Balloonman,” reads:
“A vigilante goes after corrupt Gotham citizens and kills them by hooking them up to weather balloons. Elsewhere, Oswald Cobblepot returns to the city and aligns himself with a powerful ally.”
Robin Lord Taylor’s performance as Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot is one of the most talked about things in the new series. Taylor recently spoke to press about his inspirations for, and his interpretations of the character (via Comic Book Resources):
"When I look at past Penguin performances like Burgess Meredith and Danny DeVito, the thing I walk away with is the sheer glee and fun that they bring to this sadistic person. This is a very dark show that deals with dark themes, but I still love those moments where he missteps. You watch him grow and develop in front of you. It would be a disservice to the character if you started out and he knew exactly what he was doing."
Taylor went on to discuss how he managed to land the role:
"The roll, I auditioned for blindly. It was a fake scene they wrote with fake character names. I wasn't told the name of the project. It wasn't until I was going in -- the night before -- when my agent called me and said, 'Oh by the way, this is a young Penguin and the origin story of Batman.' I was like 'Okay!' But I'd already prepared, so I just went in and did my thing, and it worked out for once. And when I read the script, it all came together in such a brilliant way. The pilot script was one of the best ones I ever read.”
Check out Taylor in the all new episode of Gotham tonight at 8:00 p.m. on Fox.
