The Penguin star Cristin Milioti watched movies where actors "swing for the fences" for "courage" when preparing to play Sofia Falcone

The Penguin star Cristin Milioti had an unconventional way of preparing to play mob daughter Sofia Falcone.

"When we started, I tried to stay away from everything. Deidre (O'Connell), when we first began, we were so nervous because it’s a high-pressure environment. They’re big sets. It’s big. You’re shooting really fast. She he told me about this thing that she does where she watches performances for courage. And I started to do that as well," Milioti said during a New York Comic Con roundtable attended by GamesRadar+. "So not necessarily performances that had anything to do with Sofia, but just wanting to see other actors, or directors or writers, swing for the fences. Just anything that felt like encouragement, but I tried to stay away from anything that was of this world, if that makes sense."

Though The Penguin is titled after Colin Farrell's Batman villain, the series also focuses on Sofia Falcone, the wrongfully imprisoned daughter of the late Carmine Falcone, and her quest for power – and revenge against those who have wronged her. Milioti's performance is intense, and emotional, showcasing paranoia and PTSD all while making a full descent into villain-hood.

Continued Milioti: "I watched Gloria, because Deidre had mentioned that one, and anything with Gena Rowlands was an incredibly courageous performance. I remember watching Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, the Almodovar film. And I feel like this with all of his films, but it’s sort of like opera while still feeling very real. The women in his films – they just go for it, and it’s incredible."

Gloria is a 1980 crime-thriller directed by John Cassavetes that stars Rowlands as the reluctant guardian of a boy whose family is killed by the mob. The actor was nominated for both an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actress. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown stars Carmen Maura as Pepa, a television actress who embarks on a journey to find out why her lover abruptly left her.

The Penguin is streaming now on Max. To keep up to date with the episodes, check out our guide to The Penguin release schedule,

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