The Penguin Episode 4: Magpie Actor Tackles Arkham Asylum & Sofia Falcone's Backstory (2025)

WARNING: SPOILERS for The Penguin episode 4.The newest DC villain actor in Matt Reeves' The Batman universe, Marié Botha, breaks down her role in The Penguin episode 4 and the possibility of returning to the DC Universe. Following The Penguin episode 3 ending, Oz Cobb may be in bigger trouble than ever in the DC TV drama. As time is ticking, time will tell how the iconic Batman foe will work his way out of the complication he has put himself in between the Falcones and Maronis.

In The Penguin episode 4, the primary focus was on Sofia Falcone/The Hangman and what exactly made her get that title as the episode takes the viewers back in time to explore the twisted journey of how she ended up at Arkham Asylum. However, throughout Sofia's time at Arkham, the HBO drama featured the debut of Magpie in Reeves' The Batman universe. However, as Magpie entered the franchise, her time in The Penguin episode 4 came to a very shocking end as she fell victim to Sofia.

ScreenRant recently interviewed Marié Botha, who shared her experience playing Magie in The Penguin episode 4. Botha detailed her audition process, what she connected with the most in Magpie while discovering her comic book lore, and whether or not the audience has seen the last of her after the events of The Penguin TV show. Botha also added where she would love to take Magpie next in terms of exploring her deeper background.

Marié Botha On Joining The Penguin TV Show As DC's Magpie

ScreenRant: What role did comic book superheroes play in your life before you booked the show?

Marié Botha: I think everyone has their own version of a superhero. Growing up, mine weren’t necessarily the ones in comic books but more so the fantastical characters in The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. I looked up to Gandalf, and Dumbledore. I had always been interested in the Batman films, all the way back to Tim Burton’s interpretation, and absolutely loved The Dark Knight series and of course Matt Reeves’ The Batman. When I got this part, I truly started sinking my teeth into comic books for the first time. I ordered every single one that featured Magpie on Ebay and got to reading and studying. It’s always lovely to fall in love with something new as an adult, and that’s how I feel about comic books now. I have them on display on my coffee table, I’m proud to say.

What did the audition look like for Magpie? Did you know it was for this role that you auditioned, or was it sides with different names?

Marié Botha: I first got the audition while I was in South Africa visiting family. The breakdown was very sparse, and the names of the characters had been changed. I had to play detective a bit, and really dissect the scenes in order to get as much information on the character as I could, using what I’d been given. I could deduce it was set in a prison — Arkham made sense for obvious reasons — therefore, she must be a villain of some sort. I then went ahead in cobbling together what I know from the Matt Reeves Arkham world (Paul Dano’s Riddler, Barry Keoghan’s Joker), and further filled in some of the blanks with traits of my personal favorite villains of all time, like Bellatrix Lestrange for example.

When the callback came around, I was told who the character was. I was thrilled, and immediately started digging into the history of Magpie and who she is in the DC Universe. The callback was on zoom with the director of episode 4, Helen Shaver, as well as casting. Because I was in South Africa, six hours ahead in time difference, the audition was at midnight my time and 6 pm New York time. I took a nap, drank a bunch of espresso and took a cold shower beforehand. I was lucky because it wouldn’t have been bad if I looked a little rough. Having a dark circle under the eye and disheveled hair worked to my advantage. I worked with Helen for a while, we discussed our takes of the character and then tried a few things. The next day I got the call, and I was on a plane back to New York for hair and makeup tests.

Researching And Finding Inspiration For Magpie In The Penguin Episode 4

"I had to build that prior journey out emotionally and psychologically, and really live in it."

What was the research process like for Magpie?

Marié Botha: As mentioned above, I ordered every comic book that features Magpie I could find on Ebay. I combed through them and put together a comprehensive character study. We meet her after she has had this whole journey as a villain, so I had to build that prior journey out emotionally and psychologically and really live in it so that those layers would be there underneath it all and translate onto the screen. I tried to incorporate as much as possible from the comics, especially the traits she is known for. She has a penchant for shiny things, so I made Sofia a shiny thing to her. Sofia is famous, polished, wealthy, all things Magpie wants with her whole heart, so crafting that desperation and yearning into her attempts at befriending Sofia was a large part of the work I did.

I also drew from the greats, Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix, Joaquin as Arthur Fleck, Paul Dano as Riddler. And then I also investigated the worlds of psychiatric institutions on film, by watching films like Girl, Interrupted. Magpie has a lot of childlike qualities, and I drew from Brittany Murphy’s Daisy, as well as Elisabeth Moss’ Penny. Magpie has not been featured extensively in the DCU, so that also gave me some room to play around and find my own version of who this beautiful, tortured creature is. She became very dear to me throughout the process.

As I was watching the episode, I felt an echo of Harley Quinn in Magpie’s voice, which was great. Can you talk about what inspirations you drew on for her?

Marié Botha: That’s so flattering. I definitely planted some Harley in there. A key script direction mentions that Magpie has quite a high-pitched speaking voice, which I think comes from a lot of childhood trauma and bullying, and so she makes herself as innocent and childlike as possible to either manipulate or shield herself. Another important element was that in episode 4 we are watching Sofia’s spiral in Arkham, and the more uncomfortable I could make the sound of my voice for her to hear, the better. I also drew from Shirley Henderson’s Moaning Myrtle for her voice. The key was to find this effervescent, bubbly, musical voice and then undercut it with a certain dissonance in order to create unease in anyone who hears it.

Magpie's Arkham Fate & Potential DC Return After The Penguin Episode 4

"In the comics, Batman takes pity on her and treats her kindly, so she develops this obsession with him."

Can you share the experience of working on the Arkham Asylum sets? What parts of it were on location, and which were built sets?

Marié Botha: The first scene between Magpie and Sofia in the cells, was shot at SilverCup Studios. Arkham was recreated almost exactly the way we see it in The Batman. When I walked in there I had chills all over. It feels so real and almost claustrophobic in there. It really helped me step into Magpie right away, because there was not a single shiny thing in there for her to possess, cue Sofia Falcone. The attention to detail is so fantastic throughout the show, and I was in awe most of the time I was on the Arkham set. The mess hall scenes were shot on location at a church in Williamsburg. We shot inside this beautiful hall with tall, imposing ceilings and high windows. I felt very small in that hall, which helped.

Given the nature of Arkham and its method of treating its inmates, what are the chances that Sofia “killing” Magpie was just in her head, potentially leaving the door open for you to come back into this universe?

Marié Botha: Anything is possible. However, I think in this particular show, Sofia really did murder Magpie. In the comics, Magpie is resurrected again later on during Blackest Night, but I am more interested in her backstory and digging deeper into what that is. I have only played it out in my own mind, I would love to see what that would look like in the mind of Matt Reeves or Lauren LeFranc. What I do know, is that there is a part of me that feels not quite ready to say goodbye to Magpie just yet.

Shooting the scene where Sofia seemingly kills Magpie, how much of that was you versus your stunt double, and what was the overall experience of filming that sequence?

Marié Botha: My stunt double, Samantha McIver, who is an absolute rockstar, did a lot of the heavy lifting and thank goodness for her, but there is quite a bit of me in there. I was lucky I had such intensive stage combat training at Yale, so I knew how to make sure my body was in the right shape to handle what I was asked to do. There was a soft pad on the mess hall table onto which Cristin smacked my head, but when you’re in it, sometimes you bring yourself down on that pad a bit harder than you intend to. And it’s all you, obviously, so you have to sell it. Cristin is just lightly gripping my hair, but I have to smack myself down and back and forth. Once the bloodwork got involved it was a whole other level. Blood seeping into my eyes, my hair, all over my face. It felt pretty badass.

If Magpie were somehow alive and could come back to The Batman universe, what are things you would want to explore with her?

Marié Botha: I see a lot of myself in her. I was teased quite a bit in school and felt isolated for a long time as a kid. I’d like to investigate and take a deep dive into her past, for sure. She has that scar on her cheek for a reason, where did it come from? Who was her stepmother, and what did she do to her?

In the comics, Batman takes pity on her and treats her kindly, so she develops this obsession with him, believing they are meant to be together. That could be cool to explore, as well. And then obviously her epic journey as her villain self. Her starting out as curator of Gotham Museum of Antiquities and then being driven mad by all the precious, shiny artifacts around her that she cannot possess. In simple terms, all she wants is a Judith Leiber bag, so she decides to simply steal it and replace it with an explosive knock-off Judith Leiber bag. That’s pretty deep if you ask me. Let’s unpack that, too.

What's Next For Marié Botha After Playing Magpie On The Penguin

What is coming up for you next?

Marié Botha: I just wrapped production on an independent film produced by my dear friends Lauren Ebner and Nick Grau. I got to work opposite Mickey Sumner and Josh Hamilton, which was an absolute treat. I am also in the process of developing my own television project of which I will be the writer/creator, so I’m very excited about that.

More About The Penguin Season 1

Starring Colin Farrell as The Penguin, the eight-episode DC Studios drama series continues The Batman epic crime saga that filmmaker Matt Reeves began with Warner Bros. Pictures’ global blockbuster “The Batman,” and centers on the character played by Farrell in the film. The first look was revealed today exclusively during Warner Bros. Discovery’s unveiling of the Max streaming service on the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles. The previously announced cast includes Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Deirdre O’Connell, with Clancy Brown and Michael Zegen recurring.

The series is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, Lauren LeFranc, who writes and serves as showrunner, Craig Zobel, who directs the first three episodes, and Bill Carraro. Based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, THE PENGUIN is produced by Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions and Dylan Clark Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, where Reeves and 6th & Idaho are under an overall deal. 6th & Idaho’s Daniel Pipski also serves as executive producer and Rafi Crohn is co-executive producer.

Click here to check out our other The Penguin interviews:

• The Penguin Episode 1 Interview - Director/Executive Producer Craig Zobel
• The Penguin Episode 2 Interview - Director/Executive Producer Craig Zobel
• The Penguin Episode 3 Interview - Director/Executive Producer Craig Zobel

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The Penguin

TV-MA

Crime

Drama

Created by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin is a crime-drama spin-off television series of 2022's film The Batman. Set shortly after the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, A.K.A. the Penguin, begins his rise in the underworld of Gotham City as he contends with the daughter of his late boss, Carmine Falcone, for control of the crime family's empire.

Cast

Colin Farrell , Cristin Milioti , Rhenzy Feliz , Michael Kelly , Shohreh Aghdashloo , Deirdre O'Connell , Clancy Brown , James Madio , Scott Cohen , Michael Zegen , Carmen Ejogo , Theo Rossi

Release Date

September 19, 2024

Seasons

1

Streaming Service(s)

HBO Max

Franchise(s)

Batman , DC Elseworlds

Showrunner

Lauren LeFranc

Prequel

The Batman (2022)

Avg Episode Length

60 Mins

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