SPOILER ALERT! This article contains details from the third episode of The Penguin on HBO.
Unlike Colin Farrell, Rhenzy Feliz didn’t have any source material to reference before taking on the role of Victor Aguilar — The Penguin’s loyal aide who saves his boss in Episode 3 by driving a car into Nadia Maroni’s henchmen.
Victor is a new character created for HBO’s adaptation of the classic DC villain, giving Feliz, known for voicing Camilo in Encanto and playing Alex Wilder in The Runaways, a blank canvas to craft the perfect protégé for Oz.
Feliz recounted that after submitting his initial audition, he was asked to meet with director Craig Zobel. “I ran through the scenes a couple of times, and then he asked if I’d ever done a stutter before. I hadn’t. He said, ‘I know you haven’t prepared for this, but would you mind trying it out to see how it sounds?’ As an actor, you just say yes and give it your best shot. I guess it was good enough because they wanted me to meet with Colin a few weeks later.”
Reflecting on the casting choice, Feliz understands why the producers deemed it important for Victor, a delinquent from a flood-affected area of Gotham City, to have a speech impediment. “I think Oz sees a bit of himself in Victor,” Feliz explained, noting that he worked with a fluency coach during production. “Oz has his own disability, and he recognizes the struggles of being an underdog who hasn’t received many chances in life. He identifies with Victor, who also has a speech impediment. They come from the same neighborhood, and Oz thinks, ‘maybe I can give this kid the chance I never had.’”
This connection is primarily why Victor decides to stay with Oz instead of leaving Gotham with his girlfriend. “At that point in his life, he feels he has lost his family and purpose,” Feliz said. “In Oz, he finds a sense of purpose. They’re working toward something bigger than just themselves. For a poor kid, the prospect of money is a huge incentive. On top of that, he sees qualities in Oz that he admires — confidence, a strong presence, and an attitude that Victor longs for in his own life.”
Feliz described working with Farrell as witnessing “magic happening right in front of you,” though he admits feeling intimidated when the Irish actor first arrived on set in full costume and prosthetics. “Oh, man. It was astonishing. I know Colin’s underneath it all, but he looks and feels like a completely different person. It’s like this incredible magic trick happening before you. It’s terrifying because he appears intimidating and even larger than I imagined. I remember telling Colin how scary it was, and he said, ‘good. Use it.’”
And there will be plenty of opportunities for that, as Feliz indicated that the season only becomes more intense from here.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love being part of this show, and my experience has been incredible,” Feliz stated. “But you carry a bit of darkness with you every day for weeks, and then those weeks turn into months. It feels like your shoulders are a little more hunched than usual. I embrace it, though. I’ve been searching for something like this for a long time. I’ve been involved in serious projects before, but this is definitely the darkest and most twisted crime narrative I’ve ever tackled.”
