"Gotham" has dubbed it's second season, "Rise of the Villains," and one of those degenerates closely mirrors the notorious Batman adversary, Joker. But Cameron Monaghan, who joins the cast as Jerome Valaska, refuses to confirm whether his character will ultimately become the DC supervillain.
"I can say that Jerome is most certainly a villain and he is a rising. That's about it," Monaghan told Headlines & Global News and small group of reporters. "Jerome is representative of the ideology of the Joker."
Jerome starts the season inside Arkham Asylum with many of Gotham City's other indisputable criminals. He attempts to strike up a friendly relationship with fellow inmate Barbara Kean (Erin Richards) until all the inmates are offered an easy out and the chance to form a coalition of crooks that could take the city by storm.
For months, we've speculated on the introduction of the Joker into the "Gotham" story and Monaghan seems to confirm our suspicions in not so many words.
Read the full interview with him below and decide whether the Joker will come a knockin' this season.
Whether or not you are the Joker, did you study all the Joker-related source material?
Of course, I studied everything I could get my hands on. Obviously, I'd seen the movies already. What kid didn't? I grew up obsessed with the animated Batman series so that adaptation was very near and dear to my heart. From there I tried to get my hands on as many comics as I could and read as many of them as I could in my free time.
Is the laugh the most important thing?
It's definitely integral, but I don't know if it's the attitude and personality that is more important or if they are equally important. The laugh is a quirk.
Will there be nods to the origins of the Joker from the comics this season?
Yes and no. The character is an origin by definition. I don't know if there's one particular nod as much as the entire story is. It's a love letter as well to the character I think, at least for me.
What evolves between him and Barbara? Because this is outside of canon, can they do what the want with that relationship?
It is its own canon. We definitely had a somewhat familiar dynamic between the two of them in the first episode when they are interacting and they do become part of a team of people who are leading a revolt of villainy and a revolution against the city. The thing about Jerome is he doesn't play very well with other people, so the team numbers start to dwindle kind of quickly.
Is there a danger in looking back at people that have played this character over the years as it might interfere with the way you would interpret him?
Absolutely I think there's a danger with that. Especially when you've grown up with it and it's so iconic in your mind, there's also something dangerous about treating it as untouchable, like something holy that can't be changed. It's not necessarily about improving it. It's about doing something that feels right for you. The only one I would feel comfortable pulling from is the animated series because it is a cartoon, so I took some of the ranges, zaniness and amazing vocal gymnastics that Mark Hamill did in the role and used that as more of an inspiration than anything direct. So if there was one I did take inspiration from it'd be that one.
Are you in a lot of the episodes?
I'm on this as well as a couple of other shows so there are only so many episodes I could do this year. All I can say is I'm at the beginning.
What do you think is at the core of Jerome's issues?
I don't think he would agree with you that they are issues. I don't think he'd be able to answer that question for you, so I'm not sure that I can either (laughs).
What are the major differences between your character and the other character versions we have come to know?
I really wanted to push the sense of humor with the character for the show. I wanted him to be telling a lot of jokes and the driving idea for him was to have you laughing and then immediately feel strange about the things you were laughing at. I think there's something uncomfortable and fun about his particular brand of humor and using his enjoyment of other people's misery that I found really amusing. So I put that in.
So stand-up comedy is in your immediate future?
I don't know about that, but I will say the writers and producers were really great about giving me the freedom to improv throughout the role and kind of play around. To pretty much be a loose cannon in the constraints of the show and with each subsequent episode I felt closer and more comfortable as the character was rising and becoming more unhinged and dangerous. It was a natural, symbiotic pairing where I was able to play around as the character was doing this.
Can you tell us if you might have scenes with Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) and Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor)?
I can say yes, one of them does appear but I can't say which one.
How did you like starting out in Arkham Asylum?
It was incredible because it was an asylum and just those two words put together it sparked something. I was so excited to shoot something in Arkham Asylum.
How does it feel to join the superhero comic book world?
It's cool because I genuinely love comics, but at the end of the day it's just about being inspired and liking whatever it is specific that you are working on regardless of the source material. At the end of the day, I had so much fun playing around with this role.
If you walk into a comic book store what draws your attention?
I noticed there's a full-size Storm Trooper from 'The Clone Wars,' which is something I was really into. My eye goes towards Superman and the Batman animated series. Comic book stores can be sensory overload when it comes to the stuff I love and am nostalgic for.
How would it feel to walk in and see your action figure on the shelf?
I don't know. Thankfully I'm not in charge of all of that, but are you serious? I would get a little glass case and put it somewhere in my house so I could polish it every morning. It genuinely would be better than an Emmy or an Oscar.
So you haven't been scanned or sculpted for an action figure yet?
I have not, no. Just hopefully they won't put nipples on mine.
"Gotham" returns tonight, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. on Fox.
