Posted in: DC Universe, TV | Tagged: , , , , , ,

Cameron Monaghan Talks Turning the Joker into an Ideal

Published
by
|
Comments

Cameron Monaghan sat down with the Build Series to talk about his role on Gotham for the last four seasons. He started out playing Jerome Valeska, whom the writers referred to as the prototype for the Joker, but not necessarily the Joker himself. Then this season we were introduced to Jeremiah Valeska, Jerome's twin brother also played by Monaghan, who has gone from being a reserved architect to being hit by Insanity Gas and is now on the verge of doing some series damage to Gotham after having possibly killed one of the main characters. I won't say who in case anyone isn't caught up, but they flat out say it in the video — so be warned of spoilers.

Mandatory Brunch Meeting
Cameron Monaghan as Jerome Velaska

Monaghan brings up some very good points about the role he's playing and why they haven't just said the character is the Joker. Unlike the comic version that was created 75 years ago, Gotham's version of the character is more of an ideal than a person — a force of chaos and change that can manifest itself in anyone who believes. That's something the series is good at doing: giving us the touchstones of the mythos without just telling the exact same story. If you wanted the comic book Joker, the comic books are there.

The actor also gives his thought on the moniker of The Joker, and it's not because he cracks jokes or laughs a lot. The character isn't a diamond, spade, club or heart — he doesn't fit in with anyone, anywhere. He is the wild card of the deck. He also points out that this week's episode, 'One Bad Day', is their take on The Killing Joke, and the episode is very dark. And while they're doing it differently, there will be moments that the comic fans will recognize.

The full interview is below and is worth watching if you're a fan of the series.

Gotham airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!

Dan WicklineAbout Dan Wickline

Has quietly been working at Bleeding Cool for over three years. He has written comics for Image, Top Cow, Shadowline, Avatar, IDW, Dynamite, Moonstone, Humanoids and Zenescope. He is the author of the Lucius Fogg series of novels and a published photographer.
website
Comments will load 20 seconds after page. Click here to load them now.