Exclusive: Robin Lord Taylor breaks down Penguin's Gotham journey in DC TV clip

In so many cases, actors get to play superheroes or supervillains just a couple of hours at a time, perhaps for only a couple of hours before the movie ends and the franchise moves on to something else. Playing a character on a long-running TV series, though, offers all sorts of opportunities for growth, empathy, and emotional depth, as Robin Lord Taylor found out in his five seasons on the DC Entertainment TV series Gotham. 

As Oswald Cobblepot, Taylor got to craft not just The Penguin, but the man Cobblepot was before The Penguin was even an idea within the Gotham City underworld. Now that Gotham has ended its run, Taylor's getting his best chance yet to examine how he brought the character to life, not just one season at a time but as part of a larger body of work. 

This week, DC TV will release a new feature — "Villains: Modes of Persuasion" — as extra content on purchases of digital season passes for several of its TV series, including all five seasons of Gotham. In this exclusive clip from the feature, Taylor breaks down the emotional resonance of his character, as well as his vulnerability as it pertains to Cobblepot's relationship with Edward Nygma, aka The Riddler.

“Seeing a character have such a complete arc, it’s very difficult not to sympathize with that person," Taylor said. "You’re seeing what happened to them to make them make this decision, to make them go this direction, and because you saw everything before, you understand them, and you have a deeper connection to them than you would otherwise.”

The full "Villains: Modes of Persuasion" feature will be available beginning Wednesday, May 22 with season pass purchases for Gotham Seasons 1-5, Arrow Season 7, The Flash Season 5, Supergirl Season 4, and Krypton Season 2.