'The Penguin' star Cristin Milioti 'felt really strongly' about Sofia Falcone's mullet: 'There was something very animal about it'

Cristin Milioti isn’t afraid to get feral. Her portrayal of Sofia Falcone, the villainous, calculating daughter of a fallen mobster on The Penguin, practically calls for it.

While the Lauren LeFranc-created miniseries, which is now streaming in its entirety on Max, focuses largely on its titular villain, Oswald “Oz” Cobb (Colin Farrell) aka the Penguin, Milioti enjoys significant screen time as a woman who’s finally come into her own. After decades of being silenced, Sofia is taking a stand against the men who have long controlled her.

“I think a lot of what [Sofia’s] going through is coming from being dismissed by a world run by men,” Milioti told TV critic Roxana Hadadi during the 10th annual Vulture Festival on Nov. 17.

As Sofia, Milioti embodies the reluctant heiress to the Falcone crime family, who is eventually scapegoated for her father’s violent crimes against women — including her own mother. When her entire family, except her brother Alberto (Michael Zegen), corroborates the cover-up, Sofia is sent to Arkham State Hospital for a decade.

Upon her release, Sofia wastes no time in exacting her revenge. Denouncing the Falcone name in favor of her mother’s maiden name, Gigante, Sofia goes on to kill the rest of the Falcone family, burn down the Falcone estate and battle Oz for control of Gotham City. She evolves into a full-blown villain, but not before getting a mullet, debuting her signature graphic eyeliner and leveling up her entire wardrobe. She’s effectively shed what Milioti calls her “Chanel straitjacket.”

“Something Lauren [LeFranc] and I talked about was, ‘How could you have her begin to be getting closer to who she eventually becomes using the tools that she grew up with?’ Which was hair, nails and wardrobe,” Milioti said. “I felt really strongly about her hair because it could also be taken back when she had to be around [men] and couldn’t be herself, but there was something very animal about it, and then with the mullet later on, which I also really fought for. I just thought that’s how that would evolve the more she bloomed into who she is meant to be. ... It’s also part of the way she presents herself in battle.”

Curated by wardrobe designer Helen Huang, Sofia’s post-Arkham style consists of vintage designer pieces that were sourced from online luxury reseller the RealReal. While Milioti said she would never seriously wear any of Sofia’s clothing — like her chartreuse Christopher John Rogers halter dress — viewers can’t seem to get enough of it.

“This felt very collaborative and very much like we were trying to build [Sofia’s] armor as well as free her too,” said Milioti, who admitted to taking some of her character’s shoes home when they finished filming. “Those clothes later on are so flowy and free and fabulous. She’s fabulous even when she’s burning houses down and straight up killing people.”

Becoming Sofia wasn’t only about the physical transformation. Milioti also curated a playlist made up of “bad bitches” to help her channel the appropriate energy for the role.

“It was a lot of Rosalía and a lot of SZA, and then a lot of Lana [Del Rey],” she said. “They’re artists I’m obsessed with in my normal life. In fact, I saw SZA twice last year. Once right before we started [filming] and then once right before we finished. And then Rosalía ... I just think the two of them are peak power.”

For Milioti, listening to these women evokes a sort of otherworldly sensibility. There are undertones to their sounds that help speak to Sofia’s state of mind.

“You kind of feel like you can really f*** shit up when you listen to them,” Milioti said of SZA, Rosalía and Del Rey. “But there’s also this thing underneath that almost feels like a beating of a drum underground, where you’re like, ‘Oh my God, something big is coming.’”

Sofia’s unpredictable nature is one of the things Milioti loves most about playing her.

“She makes decisions in the moment,” she explained. “Not that there’s no premeditation for some things ... but she can just kind of get taken by something, which I think is the rediscovering of her senses, especially having been denied for so long.”

While she’s “groverwhelmed” — a term Milioti describes as being a cross between grateful and overwhelmed — by the outpouring of support for her portrayal of Gotham City’s vengeful crime lord on The Penguin, her interactions with female viewers have had a particular impact.

“I have been really moved,” Milioti said. “I’ve had a lot of really incredible interactions just out in the world, especially with women stopping me and being like, ‘Hey, I loved this.’ It’s so rare that you make something that you love and that also people respond well to. I’ve been a part of a lot of things that I have loved making and that no one has seen ... or just been like, ‘This is crap.’ So you know, that’s been really nice.”

Season 1 of The Penguin is streaming on Max.