Husband and wife duo Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin are no strangers to the DC Universe. McKenzie starred as James ‘Jim’ Gordon in the Batman prequel series Gotham from 2014 to 2019. Baccarin would also join the show as Dr. Lee Thompkins. Baccarin has starred in or voiced several other DC Comics projects over the years as well. This weekend at Fan Expo Canada, during a panel moderated by Collider’s Maggie Lovitt, the pair were asked about their time on the show that gave fans an origin story of the Caped Crusader.
McKenzie went first, explaining that he’d received a call from creator Bruno Heller, wanting him to be on the show. He explains that Heller told him “I’ve written the part of Gordon with you in mind, which was very flattering.” McKenzie says no one had, at that time (or since, c’mon Hollywood!) “written anything for me.” Taking on the role of James Gordon, who in most iterations of Batman, is Commissioner James Gordon, was nerve-wracking for McKenzie. “I was both excited and nervous,” he explains, “I mean it’s big shoes to fill.” He went on to say:
“Some iconic actors have played the iconic role of Jim Gordon, but he’s never been the center of the story.”
The police commissioner of Gotham P.D. has been played over the years by actors such as Gary Oldman, JK Simmons, and Jeffrey Wright over the last 20 years or so. The character has been around since 1939 and has been voiced and played by several others in addition to Oldman, Simmons, and Wright, so McKenzie wasn’t far off when he said they were “big shoes to fill,” but fill them he did.
Morena Baccarin’s Dr. Lee Thompson Changed So Much Over the Course of ‘Gotham’
Baccarin’s journey to the show ended up being a bit more expedited than McKenzie’s. “I think I got a call about it and within a week I was flying to New York to shoot the show.” Baccarin played Dr. Lee Thompkins, who is a doctor in the psych ward at Arkham Asylum. Her character eventually married McKenzie’s Jim Gordon, becoming stepmother to his daughter Barbara Gordon (yes, future Batgirl and Oracle). When Baccarin was brought on, she says “I hadn’t seen it, so I was catching up on episodes.”
“My character had changed quite a bit from the beginning of the show, which was really cool.” The character, first introduced in the comics in 1976, transformed over the course of Baccarin’s time on Gotham. “I didn’t know how long the character would last… I don’t even think they knew what their plans were for this character.” She explains that “Once Lee became sort of a core part of the story, then it was trying to figure out how to give her something to do independent of Jim [Gordon].” She went on to say ” That was really cool, to be able to turn bad and have a whole dark side and run a city…” She concluded, saying: “Where it ended was also really great.”
You can watch all five seasons of Gotham on Max in the U.S.
Gotham
As a new recruit in Captain Sarah Essen’s Gotham City Police Department, Detective James Gordon is paired with Harvey Bullock to solve one of Gotham’s most high-profile cases ever: the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne. During his investigation, Gordon meets the Waynes’ son, Bruce, now in the care of his butler Alfred, which further compels Gordon to catch the killer.
- Release Date
- September 22, 2014
- Creator
- Bruno Heller
- Seasons
- 5
- Studio
- Fox
Watch on Max
