On last night’s episode of The Penguin, “Top Hat,” we flashed back in time to find out the horrible secret of how Oswald Cobb’s (Colin Farrell) brothers died, back in 1988. And along with the flashback, we meet younger versions of the cast including Young Oswald, played by Ryder Allen. But another cast member is causing a bit of confusion for HBO fans. No, that isn’t Hannah Murray, aka Gilly from Game of Thrones on The Penguin as young Francis Cobb… It’s actress Emily Meade.
Look, we get it, they have somewhat similar facial structures. They’re both 35 years old (though Meade was born in January, Murray in July). And they’re both around the same height (Meade is 5’6″, Murray is 5’5″). And they’ve also both had prominent roles on HBO shows. But that’s sort of where the differences stop.
Hannah Murray is an English actress who got her start playing Cassie Ainsworth on Skins, but got a huge bump up in her career playing Gilly starting with Season 2 of Game of Thrones. The pregnant Gilly and her connection with Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) was one of the sweet, bright spots in the otherwise very dark series.
Emily Meade, meanwhile, is a New York City-born actress who has appeared in dozens of projects, starting with The House is Burning in 2006. However, HBO fans likely know her from playing Pearl on Boardwalk Empire, Aimee on Season 1 of The Leftovers, and Sarah/Lori Madison on The Deuce. Recently, she played Susan on Prime Video’s Dead Ringers, and at least according to IMDb she’ll pop up again as Young Francis Cobb on next week’s The Penguin finale. Meade has not, however, ever appeared on Game of Thrones or the House of the Dragon spinoff.
Still, despite their differences, I’d certainly go to bat for getting Hannah Murray and Emily Meade — two fantastic actresses — in a movie together. Maybe a Parent Trap remake? Or a Prince and the Pauper type deal? Just spitballing.
Where To Watch The Penguin:
The Penguin Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
The first episode of The Penguin premieres Thursday, September 19 at 9 pm ET on HBO and Max. There will be an encore airing on Sunday, September 22 at 9 pm ET, and then the show will move to its regular time slot of Sundays at 9 pm ET starting on September 29.
Here’s the full list of episodes in The Penguin, with premiere dates:
- Thursday, September 19, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 1: “After Hours”
- Sunday, September 29, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 2: “Inside Man”
- Sunday, October 6, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 3: “Bliss”
- Sunday, October 13, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 4: “Cent’Anni”
- Sunday, October 20, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 5: “Homecoming”
- Sunday, October 27, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 6: “Gold Summit”
- Sunday, November 3, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 7: “Top Hat”
- Sunday, November 10, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 8: “Great or Little Thing”
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