Gotham's Penguin Puts on Top Hat, Sings Amy Winehouse

CBR

By CBR Staff

Published Apr 25, 2017

Robin Lord Taylor talks what the latest episode of "Gotham" meant for his character's ongoing evolution as The Penguin.

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains spoilers for tonight's episode of "Gotham," which has not yet aired on the west coast.

It’s been an interesting season for Penguin on "Gotham." After Oswald Cobblepot lost everything he’d worked towards and was shot by Edward Nygma, his friend and the man he’d fallen in love with, his fate was left up in the air until the end of tonight's episode, “How the Riddler Got His Name.” But that didn’t mean Robin Lord Taylor was left with nothing to do for the rest of the episode. The actor portrayed a ghostly version of the character conjured up by Ed’s mind that appeared at different points throughout the show.

Taylor (seen above earlier this season on "Gotham") discussed what portraying this Penguin was like when asked about the experience during a press event, attended by CBR, in New York City earlier this month.

“Playing off of Cory [Michael Smith] was really nice," Taylor told press. "The highlight of the entire thing because I’m not playing the Penguin. I’m playing his idea of who the Penguin was in this case and so really I’m playing an extension of him."

Penguin doesn’t just speak to Ed over the course of the episode, though -- he also sings an Amy Winehouse song.

“You notice in the scene it’s the first time we introduce the top hat and I’m wearing the traditional Penguin outfit," Taylor said. "Before I was shot I keep coming to the Riddler and telling him ‘I defined you,’ and in this episode too, ‘I made you who you are’ and then weirdly in his fantasy he made the Penguin who he is and it was this really beautiful like you know there’s these two psyches and the connection that they had which was my favorite thing we brought out."

The fun connections didn’t end with the outfit in that scene either. Taylor sang the Winehouse song in the same studio where she originally did.

“Production randomly rented it out, the exact booth," Taylor said. "I was like ‘well, this is a really sad tribute to her.’ I can’t sing, but there I was."

Even the singing was Ed’s projection of who the Penguin is, which for Taylor was another part of showing the deep connection they both had; the episode revealed things “emotionally through Ed.”

“Even though he’s a non-emotional person in this episode and while it may not be romantic, there was friendship and affection there which really came through and was really great to see,” Taylor continued.

"Gotham" airs 8 p.m. Mondays on Fox.