Camren Bicondova Slinks Into Gotham Season 2 With A Smile

Even as a child, Selina Kyle is cunning, sly, and often nefarious. You can see that in her incarnation on Gotham, as played by 16 year-old Camren Bicondova. Bicondova was a young dancer before she was cast in the role of the future Catwoman, accomplished in one field and ready to jump into the new challenge of acting. And like a true professional, she incorporates the skills from her past performing into her new art.

“Definitely my body movements, for sure,” Bicondova told ComicBook.com during a Gotham set visit, where she was filming episodes for the second season of Fox’s Batman prequel series. “I’m very comfortable with how I move in my body, so I know what works for me and what doesn’t.”

She uses that skill of movement to slink around like a cat sometimes, or at least she “hopes it works out” when she tries to. She also gives credit to her dancing past (and present – she’s still dancing alongside her new acting career) for giving her “the ability to do some stunts” on the show.

Of course, when you sit down to chat with the young actress, cunning, sly, and nefarious aren’t the adjectives that come to mind. A wide smile is often plastered to her face, and her laughter is contagious. Others onGotham’s set comment on how frequently she makes them smile or join in on the chuckles. Bicondova says she “doesn’t even know” how she gets into Selina’s head space. “She’s my alter ego, really. It’s fun, because I get to do things that I don’t normally do as a person!”

Nearly everything she says is followed by a laugh that’s one part nervousness and one part genuine mirth. This is simply a happy girl who hasn’t let her sudden fame go to her head. In fact, she readily addresses the feelings she had when she first came on set – and that it’s cooled down a bit.

“Filming wise, I’m not quite as nervous!” Bicondova says, with that trademark laugh, when asked what has changed for her since the first season. “I’m definitely more calm going on set.”

Of course, that’s not the only change. As Selina Kyle, like the other young star David Mazouz’s Bruce Wayne, gets to interact and learn with a far more varied section of the cast this season than the first.

“It’s really exciting getting to actually interact with people, because Selina is usually on her own, doing her own thing,” Bicondova said of working with more characters directly on set. We saw a scene with Butch and newcomer Bridget, “who eventually becomes Firefly,” she said, calling actress Michelle Veintimilla “amazing.” While she couldn’t talk much about other people, Bicondova said that it’s “really fun getting to interact with the Gotham family!”

The added interactions also let her stretch as an actress; an opportunity she’s excited about.

“You get to feel different things when you’re acting with people, versus when you’re on your own. I’m getting to dig deep into these emotions that I’ve never felt while playing Selina Kyle,” she said. “I’m usually just observing or in the shadows. So it’s really interesting getting to do that now.”

That spirit of observation is something Selina and Camren have in common, as the actress absorbs everything around her while on set. She also takes her new experiences into the new season’s solo scenes, with “all these new emotions that I can use,” she said.

While Bicondova laughs and dodges her way through plot-based questions like a pro, she was able to turn on the Selina attitude at the drop of a hat. “How’s that?” she asks after her picture is taken, brandishing the smile could disarm even the toughest of Gotham’s baddies.

Gotham Season 2 kicks off September 21, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. on Fox.