Mick Giacchino has long carried one of the most recognizable surnames in film music, but his first Emmy nomination is a milestone entirely his own. Recognized for his score on “The Penguin”, HBO’s most nominated series ever with 24 nods, Giacchino has carved out a musical identity distinct from his father, Michael, while still embracing the creative legacy he grew up around.
“The Penguin” was celebrated not only for its performances but also for the way its sound and visuals built Gotham’s fractured world in the wake of “The Batman.” “One of the key parts of my job was making sure the film and the show feel like they come from the same universe,” Giacchino said. That meant drawing on orchestral textures, layering in city grit, and knowing when silence itself could carry the weight of a scene.
Giacchino also relished writing for Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), whose theme blended glass harmonica textures, tremolos, and sliding string lines that gave her a haunted, otherworldly presence. “She was one of my favorites to write for because she’s such a tragic character,” he said. The ghostly sound palette shifted across her arc, most notably in the Arkham episode where her fragility and menace collided.
At the heart of his approach was a willingness to embrace contrasts. “Oz is this guy who wants to be in high society but comes from the streets,” he explained. “So I wrote for string quartet, which evokes elegance, and then built a trash percussion kit to bring in the raw sound of the city. Marrying the two felt right for him.” It’s a sonic identity that feels both operatic and streetwise, much like Colin Farrell’s celebrated performance.
For Giacchino, the nomination marks both validation and a turning point. Having grown up immersed in scoring sessions, he’s now stepping into his own spotlight as a composer capable of shaping Gotham’s sound as much as its look.
Giacchino spoke to Awards Focus about the moment he heard about his nomination, his process for scoring “The Penguin,” and how he’s defining his own voice in a family synonymous with film music.
Awards Focus: First of all, congratulations on your Emmy nomination. I was surprised to learn this is your first. With your family name being so prominent in film music, it feels like you’ve been part of the awards conversation for years. Where were you when you heard the news, and what was your reaction?
Mick Giacchino: Thank you so much. I was sitting on my bed because the livestream was early in the morning, and I thought, all right, I’ll tune in and watch. Brenda Song was listing off the categories, and about ten minutes in I get a call from my agent. She asked, “Are you drinking champagne?” and I said, “Oh yeah, the show got nominated for Best Writing. That’s very cool, very exciting.” And she said, “Wait, you got nominated too!”
I asked if she was ahead of me in the livestream, and she said no, it was already on the website. So there was a bit of chaos as I tried to find the link. She even double-checked because she was worried she’d misspoken. Once we found it and I saw my name, it all became real. It was very exciting. Then my mom called, my aunt called, and the phone just kept ringing. It was a really thrilling moment.
AF: The recognition for “The Penguin” has been remarkable, especially for the craft team in both its visual identity and sound. How did you first come onto the project, and what was the process of picking up from your father’s work on “The Batman”?
Giacchino: I actually did some work on the film and have known Matt Reeves for a while. On his “Plamnet of the Apes” movies, I would sit on the dub stage and watch them mix the film. Matt is very particular about sound. I remember him looking for a very specific mulch sound, just dirt falling, and I’d try to guess his notes before he gave them, just because I loved all that stuff. At the end of each day, he’d say, “Come back tomorrow.” That’s how I got to know him.
When it came time to do the movie, I ended up scoring the Batmobile chase. Originally, there wasn’t supposed to be music in that sequence. But right before recording, Matt and my dad agreed it needed music. My dad was tied up with “Spider-Man” and asked if I wanted to take it on. That was intimidating, but also really exciting. He’d given me cues before, but this was the biggest ask. Of course I said yes. That was the first scene I ever scored with Oz, and it led to me coming on board for the series.
AF: That Batmobile chase is unforgettable. Once you transitioned to “The Penguin,” how did you and the creative team shape a sonic identity for the series that still connected back to “The Batman”?
Giacchino: One of the key parts of my job was making sure the film and TV show felt like they belonged to the same universe. I listened to the film score a lot. It’s heavily orchestral, with strings, brass, lower winds, and percussion. I knew that connection would be important.
On TV, the budget is smaller, so I wasn’t going to get the same huge orchestral sound. I thought about Bernard Herrmann’s “Psycho” score, which is entirely strings, and realized there might be a world where I focus on strings with synths and percussion. That idea connected to Oz as a character. He wants to be accepted by high society, which made me think of a string quartet. But he also grew up on the streets, so I built a “trash percussion” kit inspired by bucket drummers and the sounds of the city. Marrying the two gave me the foundation for the scherzo.
AF: The score has striking moments, but it also makes space for silence and tension. When you’re scoring episodes, what guides your decision on when to place music and when to let silence carry the scene?
Giacchino: That’s actually a very collaborative process between Lauren, Matt, and myself. I definitely believe that knowing when to use silence is just as important as knowing when to use music. Sometimes I’d get the full cut of the episode with temp music in place as a guide. I might follow it, or I’d suggest playing further, or even say, “I don’t think you need this cue.” Other times, they’d ask if music was necessary or if sound design could do the job.
For example, in Episode Two during the FEMA truck heist sequence, it was originally going to have score leading into a Bobby Darin song Lauren wanted. I wrote a full cue, but it was hard to drop out naturally where the song needed to start. As Matt put it, it felt like “letting air out of the bag.” His idea was to remove score entirely and let sound design carry the tension. The engines, the trucks, all of that became the score. I think it ended up working really well.
AF: Sophia Falcone is one of the show’s most layered characters, and her scenes carry a strong psychological tension. How did you approach shaping her musical identity?
Giacchino: From the beginning, in her first appearance, she felt like an apparition. I knew I wanted something haunted and ghostly, which led me to glass patches—various forms of glass harmonica and bowed chamber bowls. That became Sophia’s sound. I layered in tremolos, and that’s where her theme came from.
She was one of my favorites to write for because she’s such a tragic character. Over the arc of the show, she’s lost, trying to find herself. I could make her sound haunting, or haunted. Especially in the Arkham episode, I twisted her theme between viola and cello, sliding notes together to create unease. It was a lot of fun to experiment with that.
AF: Stepping back a little, when did you first know you wanted to pursue composing? Was there ever a point where you thought you’d take a different path?
Giacchino: Film music was always a huge part of my life. Up until fifth grade, the only thing I listened to were film scores. My dad told me, “That’s great, but you should listen to some pop music too”, by which he meant Billy Joel and the Beatles. So in middle school I started listening to them, then got into classic rock and folk from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s.
I played in bands with friends, keyboards and a little guitar, and through high school that’s what I wanted to do. But by 10th or 11th grade, I started getting more interested in scoring. I grew up around scoring stages, watching sessions, sitting with the percussionists or brass section, just soaking it all in. That was magical. By mid–high school, I realized I wanted to try it myself. I started writing, took music theory classes, and by college I knew I wanted to pursue it seriously.
AF: Looking ahead, how do you hope this Emmy nomination shapes the kinds of projects you take on? Do you see yourself leaning more toward film or television?
Giacchino: I’d love to do a film, but ultimately it’s about the project. If it’s something exciting, where music can be a real character and stand out, I don’t care if it’s film, TV, or a video game. As long as I’m passionate about it, I’ll do it.
There are so many great forms of storytelling right now, which means so many different opportunities for music. But yes, I’d love to do a film, and it would be amazing to hear it in a theater with a full audience.
AF: A fun last question. My ringtone when my wife calls is actually your father’s theme for Pixar’s “Up”, “Married Life”. If you had to pick a score for your own ringtone, what would it be?
Giacchino: I’ve had a few. When my dad calls, his “Space Mountain” score plays. For a while my ringtone was the “Naked Gun” theme. Right now it’s a guitar solo from “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon” by Queen. I’ve also had “Curb Your Enthusiasm” as a ringtone.
Awards Focus: Thank you so much for the time, and congratulations again on the nomination.
Giacchino: Awesome. Thank you so much.