Contains spoilers forGothamseason 2.
You said then that Alfred was starting to question his own mortality a bit after getting stabbed.
Thats right, after getting stabbed by his friend Reggie.
Hes still not afraid of a fight, though, is he?
Hes not afraid of a fight.
We follow them as the writers, but they also follow elements of us.
Why would he be working for the richest man in the world?
Its obvious now, people went oh my God,thatswhy Pertwees been doing it like that.
And to protect him.
It makes sense, doesnt it?
Because Batman didnt become Batman overnight.
You know, theres a germination process.
Who taught him how to fight?
Who taught him how to drop his shoulder?
Who told him how to throw a knife?
Who told him to do all of these things?
So, to cook all of these elements in there, Alfred is sort of a Swiss-army knife.
Thats why I made him S.A.S., and Geoff Johns kindly let me do so.
Because originally he was a marine, and didnt have a leg.
But theres too many limps in the show already.
Its kind of, everyone will be limping!
So they let me go for this S.A.S.
idea, because I was lucky enough to train at the Kill House [a real-life S.A.S.
training facility] for a while, in Herefordshire, for a different show.
[Pertwee yelled that bit.
It was great.]
Do you know what, I think I remember talking to you about this actually.
But that is the world ofGotham, isnt it?
And also he is a teenager, and of course he doesnt listen to his parent, or guardian.
I think that will become an issue, in season 3.
ThatRichie Richelement, that idea of stopping.
Were not allowed to call it the Batcave, because its not the Batcave yet.
Its the Wayne cave.
And the computer, and Lucius Fox, and all of those elements.
And it looks like you do a lot of the fighting yourself?
I do, yeah, I do virtually all of it.
I loved that street fight scene, where youre showing Bruce how to take down a big guy.
I really hurt myself doing that.
Because the guy was 380 pounds and 6 foot 7.
And he had stacks on.
That was a lot of fun.
Shooting it where they shotThe Warriorsand all that was good fun.
And I was lucky enough, when the stunt guys saw I could handle…
I did lots of it, fighting Sean Bean, fighting a myriad of people with swords.
They saw that, and they then started to encompass things like that into the show.
So that element is really kind of cool.
And how much do they tell you, or do you know for yourself, about Alfreds past?
I do wonder when the S.A.S.
bit stopped and when the working-with-Thomas-Wayne bit started.
Well this is something that will be discussed.
And thats how he took on the mantle.
He said, If you need help, come to me.
And he actually, to go on about the leg again, got his leg blown off.
And he buys him a prosthetic leg.
Which, Im pleased that we dropped that idea.
So there is that reason.
He literally becomes his batman in the services.
And thats why he was there.
The only person he can trust with the greatest asset in his life, his son.
I know; thats Bruno [Heller] for you.
Now its the Court of Owls, oh, bloody hell [laughs].
Do you know for sure thats where the investigation is going to head, then?
That the doppelganger of Bruce Wayne will exist, we can say that.
David [Mazouz] and I have talked about this at great length.
So, its going to be an emotional villain aspect for us.
So Im looking forward to that.
Im looking forward to David playing the doppelganger version, too…
So am I, yeah.
Imagine if he was Clayface as well, hed be playing three people.
Ben McKenzies Clayface scenes were just hilarious.
Yeah, I know.
He had fun, right?
you’re free to tell he had fun.
Have they given you any indication of how long the show might run for?
People get our world now, and understand our world.
And they understand where were going with it, and they trust us.
And so I think the thing is, the show will continue, and long may it last.
The thing is, that people always ask this question: will we see him don the cowl?
He leaves the estate to Alfred and then he comes back, and lo and behold hes Batman.
When I think the show will end, is when he makes that decision.
But how does he get there?
Who teaches him all of this?
Alfred is a huge part of that.
Just one more thing before Im ushered out.
Today Ive been speaking to people fromThe Flashand fromLegends Of Tomorrowas well.
And their shows are kind of connected and they have crossovers within them.
Can you imagineGothamever having a crossover with anything else?
Um… no, I cant.
And I have nothing but tantamount respect for all of these other shows.
As you know, theyre fantastic.
ButGothamis a prequel… to them all.
It really is after Batman that these characters are born, in many respects.
This is an earlier time.
I also think its a very different show.
Its operatic, its dark.
The CW does a much more vibrant, accessible version of these shows.
But we are a prequel to that all.
So our world is pre-existing.
It would be great, but I dont see it happening.
I dont see how it would necessarily work.
Theyve got phones and computers, but it doesnt feel modern.
Well thats our sort of Grimms Fairytale,Taxi Driverthing.
People have come around to our way of thinking, and are now accepting our interpretation of Gotham.
Which is the central character.
Sean Pertwee, thank you very much!
Gotham Season 2 is out on Blu-ray and DVD today, Monday the 1st of August.
