“Grateful for the bright spots”: The Penguin star Cristin Milioti reflects on playing Sofia Falcone after Emmy win

On September 14, 2025, Cristin Milioti won her first Emmy for her role as Sofia Falcone in The Penguin. She took home the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

The Penguin had been nominated in many categories that evening, and this win marked a major milestone for Milioti. From the moment she accepted the Emmy, she showed emotion, humour, and gratitude.

According to People reports, she read part of her speech from notes she had written during therapy, saying,

“I’m sorry, I wrote this on the back of notes I took in therapy the other day, so don’t look at the back.”

As reported by Decider, she also ended with a simple but joyful exclamation,

“I love acting so much! Wooo!”

Cristin Milioti reflected on what playing Sofia Falcone for The Penguin has meant to her. According to Vulture reports, she said,

“It’s very hard to make sense of being alive right now in this world, so I’m deeply grateful for the bright spots. And making this show with our incredible cast and crew, and getting to inhabit this woman was a bright spot for me, despite it being very grisly. Playing her felt like flying.”

Cristin Milioti’s Emmy win and the people she thanked

The award night celebrated more than just a single actor. Cristin Milioti used her speech to express gratitude to collaborators, writers, directors, costars, crew, and the showrunner, emphasizing that her Emmy was a recognition of collective effort rather than personal achievement. By framing it this way, she kept the spotlight on the craft, the writing, staging, and performances that brought each scene of The Penguin to life, rather than on celebrity.

How did Sofia Falcone’s storyline in The Penguin unfold on screen?

Sofia’s arc in The Penguin is concrete and often violent. In episode 1, Oswald “Oz” Cobb shoots Alberto Falcone after a confrontation, and Sofia, newly out of Arkham, suspects foul play and begins a dangerous investigation that pushes her into conflict with Oz and other Gotham figures.

In later episodes of The Penguin, her decisions gain greater weight as a plot thread reimagines comic history, giving Sofia a new identity as Sofia Gigante, a transformation that shifts her power and standing within the Falcone family. Those plot beats helped make Sofia a character who shifts from reactive to active, and they gave Milioti clear turning points to play.

Why the role mattered and what may come next?

Trending

Sofia demanded a blend of playfulness, physicality, ethical ambiguity, and precise timing, small choices in individual scenes that together formed a complete character arc. Cristin Milioti has expressed interest in reprising the role if the writers can find a compelling, honest reason, though no follow-up project had been announced by mid-September 2025. In the meantime, her Emmy underscores how a single, well-crafted role can redefine an actor’s image and open doors to new creative opportunities.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback