‘The Penguin’ Cristin Milioti on Emmy Nomination, Hopes for Sofia’s Return & Looking Fabulous While Seeking Revenge (Exclusive)

Cristin Milioti has graced our TV screens for a while now, but she’s just landed her first-ever Emmy nomination for her performance in The Penguin, HBO‘s hit spinoff of The Batman. 

Nominated for Best Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series, Milioti is being recognized for her seriously stellar work as Sofia Falcone, who memorably becomes Sofia Gigante, head of the newly-minted Gigante crime family after she murders the majority of her Falcone family members in retaliation for taking the fall as “The Hangman.” After being gaslit and imprisoned in Arkham, Sofia is done with being the fall guy, and she took viewers along for an exciting onscreen journey as she sought her own power in a world dominated by men. The series about The Batman adversary Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell), a.k.a. The Penguin, saw how Sofia and the mobster’s history shifted the criminal dynamics of Gotham City.

While Milioti has shone in other shows like Fargo and Black Mirror, her role in The Penguin has entranced viewers, and her nomination is a reflection of that. Following the nomination announcement, TV Insider caught up with Milioti, who shares her initial reaction to hearing the news of her nomination, shares hopes for Sofia’s return, and reflects on her journey with the character.

HBO

This is your first Emmy nomination. How does it feel to be recognized this way for your performance as Sofia Falcone in The Penguin?

Cristin Milioti: It feels really, really lovely. I’m not going to lie. It feels so nice, and it feels so wonderful to see just how recognized our show is today. You never know how these things are going to go, and it’s so wonderful to see so many members of our cast and crew get recognized for their incredible work. So that’s also been really thrilling. And also my Black Mirror family all got recognized today, so I’m just feeling very grateful and overwhelmed.

How did you find out about your nomination? Was your phone blowing up?

Blowing up! Yeah, my phone was blowing up, and I was running around doing a bunch of errands and texting while walking, which is dangerous. But yeah, I’ve been in touch with all of my loved ones. It’s been really sweet and fabulous.

I also saw Helen Shaver, who directed Sofia’s origin story episode, “Cent’anni,” was nominated for an Emmy…

I’m so thrilled for Helen! We worked so closely together on that fourth episode, and I love her so much, and working with her was a dream. I’m so glad she was recognized today.

Sofia has so many wonderful moments onscreen, from that interrogation in the first episode and her origin story installment to that penultimate confrontation at the club. Is there a particular scene that stood out to you while acting?

There was such a cornucopia of moments for her and scenes, and certainly the speech at the dinner table to her family into the gas mask sequence was probably up there for me just because it was so fun and meaningful to film, and also it’s so meaningful for the character. So I think that was definitely a sequence where I was really pinching myself, and it really felt like Helen and Lauren [LeFranc] and I were holding hands throughout that. So it was very beautiful.

HBO

HBO hasn’t announced a second season for The Penguin, but things were left pretty open-ended for Sofia. Is she a character you’re eager to revisit? 

I really want to see more of her… Yeah, I want to see more of her too [Laughs].

As mentioned earlier, Sofia has so many great moments. Was there a scene or bit of collaboration with your costars you were most eager to tackle onscreen?

Honestly, it was an embarrassment of riches. I love getting to work with Colin [Farrell], he’s such a dream, but also Dede [O’Connell and] Michael Kelly. I had such an embarrassment of riches in terms of the actors that I got to work with, our wonderful Renzy [Feliz]. I really felt like every day was a joy, honestly. Not that it wasn’t also a challenge to film this show. It certainly was, but the people that I got to work with and act alongside are some of my absolute favorites. So it was thrilling.

One thing that stands out about Sofia is that you’re almost rooting for her to do bad things. What has it been like taking in the fan reactions to her, and are you on her side when it comes to her actions?

I absolutely agree with that sentiment and the reaction to her. The fan reaction has been profound, to say the least. I have met so many people from different backgrounds and ages, and she has connected with so many people. It’s astonishing. It’s also gratifying in a way because I connected with her so deeply. I love Sofia, and I love her story. And to have that reflected back by so many people is incredible.

Sofia is constantly made to feel crazy and is gaslit throughout the show. How did it feel to represent that onscreen and showcase such an important topic?

I think that’s part of why she resonates with so many people. I think so many people’s experience of being alive in this world, especially right now with the horrors that we’re witnessing every day, you feel gaslit. You feel gaslit by this administration, you feel gaslit by the world, and I think to see someone push back so hard against that is incredible. And I think that’s one of the many things about her that resonates with me. And certainly, as a woman in this world, I think that’s a very common thing to be made to feel. And so it’s just thrilling to watch someone refuse to take it and to seek revenge and be fabulous while doing it.

Speaking of fabulous, how did Sofia’s wardrobe, hair, and makeup evolution help you with your performance over the season? She starts the show in such a different place from where she ends up. 

The hair and makeup are such a huge part of it, obviously. And I was so lucky to have such incredible collaborators with Brian [Badie] and Martha [Melendez], and Nikki [Lee Bradford], and it really felt like we collaborated. Brian and I were in cahoots about that hair from day one, and that was a constant conversation with the powers that be. And we really pushed for it. And the makeup, same thing. I came in with a bunch of ideas, and we all sat over all of these vision boards of inspiration to take from various punk artists, and a way in which it could be war paint for her. And being able to transform in that way every day was certainly helpful to lock in.

The Penguin, Streaming Now, HBO Max

77th Emmy Awards, Sunday, September 14, 8/7c, CBS and Paramount+