While HBO’s The Penguin garnered critical acclaim for its performances, arguably the breakout star of the season was Rheny Feliz, who played Victor “Vic” Aguilar. Feliz starred in the series, which continues the story from the 2022 film The Batman, alongside leads Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti.

Blavity’s Shadow and Act spoke with Feliz ahead of Entertainment Weekly’s Breaking Big panel at the 2025 SCAD TVfest. Feliz revealed that he was aware of Victor’s heartbreaking end at the hands of Farrell’s Oz Cobb long before filming even began.

Knowing Victor’s fate from the start

“I knew from the jump. I knew before we even started—before we showed up in New York, I knew it was gonna happen. I knew his whole entire arc,” he told us. “So it was always a challenge to make Victor endearing to the audience so that, in the end, you know, people would feel something.”

Despite knowing what was to come, Feliz admitted he was excited about the challenge of bringing such an emotional arc to life.

“But when I read it, I mean, I knew it was coming, so that’s one thing. But how did I feel when I heard about the news? I was honestly kind of excited because I just thought, ‘If we do it right, what a moment it could be.'”

For Feliz, Victor’s journey felt like a natural fit within the world they were creating.

“I [thought it] would be really cool, and also, it just felt right in terms of who Oz was—this character we were trying to create. The whole thing is we’re trying to create a character, a real person, and I think that by doing that to someone like Victor, who’s so innocent and so loyal to him, it makes something more out of Oz too.”

Although he understood how ambitious the storyline was, Feliz embraced the challenge.

“So I knew it would be ambitious. I knew that, hopefully, it would be a moment if we could do it right. But it was always exciting—the challenge is always exciting.”

Memories of working with Colin Farrell

Reflecting on his most memorable moments working alongside Farrell, he recalled his first time seeing the actor in full costume as Oz.

“I think the first moment I had with him was the most surreal and probably the giddiest I’ve been while shooting—it was when we weren’t even shooting; we were doing camera tests. There were cameras around, but it was the first time I got to see him as Oz, and I just remember my mind kind of being blown. And really, it was hard for me to keep a smile off my face.”

Feliz admitted that he had to quickly shift gears and compose himself to work alongside Farrell.

“I just thought it was so cool, and I remember thinking, ‘Dude, you better cut this stuff out because if you’re gonna be working with the guy real soon, you can’t be this excited just to be near him. So you gotta chill out, and you gotta get to work.'”

Despite the initial excitement, Feliz quickly found his rhythm, appreciating the opportunity to share scenes with Farrell.

“And it was kind of that ‘switch the gears’ mentality—but that was probably the coolest moment.”

The Penguin, which was billed as a limited series, is streaming in its entirety on HBO.