‘Gotham’ Ben McKenzie Talks About Playing ‘A True Hero’ And Diving Into Batman’s Universe!

In Fox's Batman prequel series, Gotham, a horrible crime will send shockwaves among the innocent and guilty. Actor Ben McKenzie reveals the uphill battle that Detective Jim Gordon has to face as Gotham City's list of villains is beginning to grow.    

In the DC Universe, Jim Gordon is the ally, sometimes enemy, of the Dark Knight. Though Gordon is a dedicated cop, he is horrible handling his personal life. Though he has been divorced and his partner was killed by The Joker, Gordon never gives up on his goal to keep the streets safe from the freaks of Gotham.  

In the upcoming TV series, Gotham, the story flashes back before Gordon became police commissioner and started out as a rookie detective. In this prequel, Gordon has to solve the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, McKenzie explains how the good cop's morals will be tested against the corrupt system of the cynical city.

McKenzie describes Gordon's character arc, "His journey will be to figure out how to make it better both for Gotham and himself without completely losing the moral standing that he has. He's not an anti-hero, he's a true hero - but he will have to compromise."

Despite being a Batman fan, the Southland actor had to start from scratch in preparing for the role, "I went to lunch with [DC Comics' Chief Creative Officer] Geoff Johns and asked, 'What do I need to know? I'm familiar with Batman and Gordon, but what's my responsibility here?' The O.C.'s leading man continues, "[Johns] gave me Gotham Central and said two things. The origin story of Gordon hasn't been fully explored before. As central as he is, Gordon has never been the focus. And second, you can't worry about that. 'We hired you to play you and to make this character fresh.'" 

In Gotham Central, the focus is on the good cops of the corrupt city as they try to solve crimes without the help of Batman. In the first story arc, the detectives have to find a cop-killer, Mister Freeze, within 24 hours before the police commissioner has to turn on the Bat-signal. 

Gotham is slated to premiere in the Fox fall season. Readers, are you excited to see what actor Ben McKenzie will do with his role as Jim Gordon?