Gotham season 3 episode 16: Ben McKenzie talks directorial debut
The actor behind Jim Gordon on the series directed this episode, which marks the first time that he’s taken on that role on the show. It should be exciting just because he’s spent the better part of the past few years honing his craft in front of the camera, and we’ve got a good suspicion that in the process, he probably worked a little bit to ensure that he’d also be rather adept behind the camera in the process.
One of the fun things about the video below is seeing Ben the director versus Ben the actor, and how much they transform in terms of both material and style. He talks about the experience of directing, and some of the fun that he’s having in the role. There are some times that he will have to direct himself, but he seems especially amped to be able to do this part at a time in which the great James Remar is guest-starring on the show. He is playing the part of Jim Gordon’s uncle, and we imagine that it’s going to be very entertaining seeing how some of the allegiances continue to play out. He professes to being a part of the Court of Owls, but not really working with them intimately. That is where the level of deception comes into play.
You also get a few quotes from both Remar and David Mazouz in this video, as well, just in case you wanted to get a little bit more insight courtesy of them as to what they think about their co-star developing such a new and refined skill. We have a feeling that in the event there is a season 4, we’re going to be seeing Ben take on this role again. Typically, actors who decide to direct an episode will choose to come back and take the role on again down the road. Granted, they have to plan this out in advance, given that doing this adds a significant amount of hours to the work day so you need a pretty good plan in place fairly far in advance.
What do you want to see from McKenzie both as an actor, and a director, over the course of the episode? Share in the comments!
Meanwhile, be sure to head over here to get some further news regarding this episode, including some more scoop about what lies ahead. (Photo: Fox.)
Valen
May 4, 2017 @ 2:16 am
Ben did a good job as Director, as did the actors and writers. Solid episode. There was a lot going on. Sad to lose Uncle Frank so soon.
or27
April 30, 2017 @ 5:20 pm
I’m really anticipating Ben’s double role as he debuts as director along with being series star/lead. I realize that he had to be greatly minimized in last week’s episode to allow for the preparation work, so that means I’m already making up for that lost time on screen and the whole hiatus since January. As far as acting, I hope he has substance in terms of content, that having a family member, finally, not in a flashback, will mean a good personal, character-driven story. Last week was like a tease and just much too little. I read another interview about this where Ben mentioned how with all of the action and complex lighting, he feels like they run out of time for real acting, so I hope to see that. The quieter, more developed, slower paced scenes and stories, like the prison and right after arcs were like that.
As a director, I’m sure he’ll make smart choices from what he’s learned in front of the TV or film camera or on stage as an actor and from working with many skilled directors. He knows how he wants the characters to appear and how he’d like the story to be told as much as he can influence. He’s not writing, but he can leave his mark as an intelligent, insightful, set of eyes and ears.