Ben McKenzie On Jim Gordon Turning To Dark Side On Gotham

Ben McKenzie, who plays Detective James Gordon in the hit FOX TV show Gotham will make his first two Wizard World Comic Con appearances in Philadelphia (May 9-10) and Chicago (August 22-23). McKenzie will greet fans will sign autographs, pose for photo ops and conduct interactive Q&A sessions at the two flagship shows.

On Gotham, Gordon has come to the realization that no morally upright “boy scout” can survive in his world. McKenzie spoke to IGN about where fans can expect the future commissioner to go on the series from here on the show. Here are some highlights:

On Gordon’s direction

“I think he likes to win. I think we’re going to see that more in the second half of the season. I think one of the things that’s compelling about Jim is that, for all of his honesty and forthrightness and moral rectitude, he’s also an incredibly ambitious, ego-driven guy, on a certain level, like we all are. If he’s got to treat people a little roughly, throw some sharp elbows to get things done, then he’s going to do it. The more he learns about how Gotham actually works, the more hardened he becomes. So there’ll be a nice element there of taking no prisoners. It’s not even so much police work as it is politicking. You can grease palms or break limbs. [Laughs] Whichever gets it done. He’s learning how to use leverage, how to call in favors. He’s growing increasingly close to Penguin in ways that he could never have anticipated before and wouldn’t have allowed. But he realizes, in the way that the world actually works, he has to in order to get it done.”

On whether Penguin will become an ally

“Yeah, in a way. He has to have friends on the other side of the law, or he’s never going to get the information and he’s never going to know the lay of the land. And who better than Penguin, who is ruthless but does fancy Jim as a friend and thinks of him in this bizarre way as his only friend. He tells his mother, “This lovely cop is a true friend.” In his perverted world view, Oswald genuinely believes that Jim is a friend of his.”

On relationship with Selina

“Yeah, exactly. She sort of has that attitude already as a street kid. I don’t know if it’s going to affect his relationship with Bruce. I think Bruce at this point is very frustrated with Jim in that he hasn’t delivered on his promise. A young man gets impatient and effectively shoes him away, says, “We’re done.” Maybe Jim showing Bruce he can get things done with looser morals, maybe that appealing to Bruce. But what kind of lesson does that teach a kid?”

On Barbara

“Yeah, at this point I think Jim feels pretty unencumbered, because Barbara left him. He came home to an empty house and a note — a “Dear John” — and he didn’t see it coming, really. He feels upset. So he’s been wallowing in that for a minute. So when he meets someone he’s genuinely attracted to — physically and otherwise — he goes for it. You know, life is short, and she represents hope to him. I think their connection’s pretty deep. We’ll see how it plays out.”

[Photo Credit: Source]

Ben McKenzie On Jim Gordon Turning To Dark Side On Gotham