‘The Penguin’ Star Rhenzy Feliz Walks Us Through Victor’s Transformation into a Killer

We’ve ever understood that HBO‘s The Penguin is simply a communicative astir lowly Gotham gangster Oz Cobb’s (Colin Farrell) emergence to supervillain position successful The Batman universe. However, The Penguin Episode 6 “Gold Summit” besides explores nan almost complete corruption of nan show’s 1 “innocent” main character. The Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) we meet successful this week’s section of The Penguin has transformed into a trusted and tin personnel of Oz’s underground crew. He’s sewage a much assured swagger, a spot of flashy facial hair, and a decease connected his hands.

**Spoilers for The Penguin Episode 6 “Gold Summit,” now streaming connected MAX**

We’ve known for a while that 1 of nan fewer group who spooks Victor Aguilar, moreover aft becoming nan correct manus man of nan Penguin, is his long-time vicinity bully, Crown Point supplier dealer, Squid (Jared Abrahamson). Squid is 1 of nan fewer group who knows that Victor is hiding Oz’s beloved mother Francis (Deirdre O’Connell) successful nan ramshackle slums of Crown Point. He’s besides keen to get successful connected immoderate caller criminal activity has elevated Victor from stuttering orphan into a well-dressed and powerful state of a gangster, aka nan pushing of Bliss connected nan streets of Gotham.

Victor initially tries to bargain Squid disconnected nan scent of Oz and Bliss. “I’m annoyingly going to person to springiness this feline money and past it’ll beryllium done,” The Penguin prima Rhenzy Feliz told Decider. “He’s conscionable seen nan measurement that Oz pays group disconnected and Oz astatine nan opening of nan section tells him, ‘You cognize why we person their hearts? You cognize why we person their loyalty? Because we salary them.'”

So “that’s nan instruction learned,” Feliz said. If Victor wants to get free of Squid, he has to salary him. However, because Squid knows astir Francis, he believes he has nan leverage to bully Victor into an preamble pinch nan Penguin. Because Victor knows Squid is ruthless and untrustworthy, he can’t spot him pinch nan concealed astir their underground base.

Photo: HBO

“I don’t cognize what to do,” Feliz says, invoking Victor’s thought process. “I don’t cognize what to do, but I can’t return him back. I don’t person immoderate time…and earlier he tin really dress up his mind astir what’s nan correct point to do, he’s already done it.”

Victor impulsively kills Squid pinch a gnarly gunshot coiled and is instantly contrite, telling his dying adjacent that he didn’t want to do it, but that Squid made him do it.

“Seeing it visually is ever different than pulling a trigger. Pulling a trigger, is this,” Feliz said, making a fist. “Seeing personification dice successful beforehand of you from thing that you did is simply a very different feeling.”

“Not that I would know,” he added quickly, pinch a smile, “but that’s wherever you effort to get your imagination to spell there.”

Feliz explained that Victor’s regret was “immediate,” but complex. “Like, I didn’t moreover want to do this. It’s almost conscionable for illustration he’s blaming him. He’s almost upset astatine him, arsenic he’s dying, which is specified a gruesome scene. You know, nan measurement it looks and nan ocular effects and worldly for illustration that.”

Of course, Victor’s translator complete nan past play of The Penguin has manifested itself successful much than conscionable his expertise to termination aliases stone facial hair. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll person noticed that his stutter moreover seems to popular up less. It’s not wholly gone, but Feliz confirms it was connected purpose.

“You know, it was decidedly a conscious determination to person this arc from him being who he is astatine nan opening to who he is astatine nan extremity and benignant of having nan assurance to do immoderate of nan things that he does,” Feliz said.

What other is Victor now tin of? There are only 2 much episodes of HBO’s constricted bid The Penguin — and potentially The Batman Part 2 — to find out…