If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

“She would never let herself be weak like that”: The Penguin’s Deirdre O’Connell compares Francis Cobb to Livia Soprano The Penguin’s “Dom Mom”

Deirdre O’Connell shares all at NYCC

A still of Deirdre O’Connell in The Penguin — Image credit: Max

News by Jim McDermott, Contributing writer

Published on Mon Oct 21 2024

Popverse's top stories of the day

Disney & Lucasfilm are quietly planning a 50th anniversary Star Wars movie that's focused on all-new characters
MEMBERS ONLY: Follow along live to the Mandalorian & Grogu movie panel from Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025!
WATCH NOW: The gentleman villain Mads Mikkelsen tells us how he balances being charming and despicable in our favorite movies & TV series

Early responses to the Penguin have compared the twisted, complex relationship between Oz and his mother to that of Tony Soprano and his mother. And Deirdre O’Connell, who plays Francis, has tons of admiration for the work that Nancy Marchard did in the role. “I love that relationship,” she told press at New York Comic Con 2024.

But O’Connell finds Francis to be a very different kind of mother. “There’s something about the card [Livia] plays that I don’t think Francis would ever be able to play,” she says, “the card of ‘Oh no, pitiful me.’” For O’Connell, Livia is “the strongest person on that show, when you get right down to it.” But despite her own health issues, Francis would never use her needs to get something done, O’Connell says. “Francis hates weakness. She’s revolted by it in herself and in him.”

O’Connell hints that this point of view is going to bring Francis growing hardship as the season continues and she grows sicker. “It’s very hard for her to be dependent.” She’s excited for audiences to see exactly where it goes. “[Showrunner] Lauren [LeFranc] has written from top to bottom such an incredible arc for her.”

The Penguin continues each Sunday on HBO and streaming on Max.

Relive New York Comic Con 2024 with Popverse's all-star crew of writers, editors, and video producers right here.

About New York Comic Con

Welcome home, hero. This is your event where you can feel unafraid to geek out. Where you’re accepted and embraced for being yourself, regardless of your cultural background, physical ability, personal identity, or self-expression. Where you can experience the best in pop culture, be inspired, get star struck, treat yourself, and create all of those memories with the people you care about the most.