Paul Reubens returns to the role of Oswald Cobblepot’s father, one he originated twenty-five years ago on the big screen, in the second half of season two of Gotham. Like any good comic book character, though, there’s a secret origin to him playing the role.
Actor Robin Lord Taylor, who plays Gotham‘s Penguin, loved the idea of Reubens playing his father – but came across the idea and helped make it happen in a surprising way.
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“I met Paul Reubens a couple months before he was cast on Gotham, because he’s best friends with Carol Kane,” Taylor told ComicBook.com at a Gotham mid-season premiere event in New York. “Carol invited me and my husband to brunch, and said, ‘My friend Paul is coming,’ and we show up and it’s Paul Reubens! He was in town doing Blacklist, and we had an amazing, lovely brunch. The whole time we kept talking about it, like, ‘oh man, Paul, wouldn’t it be great if you played my dad? Carol’s my mom and you guys are best friends…’ “
Taylor enthusiastically told the story, and said they finished the meeting by taking a photo together. That’s when things started to happen.
“A couple weeks later I sent the photo to executive producer Danny Cannon, just like, ‘ha ha ha this happened!’ He wrote me back immediately and said, ‘Oh my f***ing God, I’ve been trying to get him for three weeks! To play your father!’ Then it actually came through and happened!” he said.
While Reubens’ debut hasn’t been officially set, he was shooting in January 2016, and Taylor implied he might be around for at least a couple of episodes. Penguin, of course, is in great need of some parental guidance, after his mother was killed, and his revenge on Theo Galavan got him thrown in Arkham Asylum, where he’s now under the thumb of Dr. Hugo Strange.
Gotham airs Mondays at 8pm on FOX.
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Image Courtesy of HBO
