Gotham: David Mazouz Talks Killing Alfred
The third season of Gotham pushed a lot of the heroic characters further into darkness as they get closer and closer to their destinies we're expecting them to embrace from the comic book source material.
And though Jim Gordon realigned his moral center to become the police detective Gotham City needs him to be, Bruce Wayne's journey took him to the edge before he finally found himself and his mission. He just had to murder his mentor and caretaker to get there.
Actor David Mazouz, who plays the future Batman on the series, spoke with ComicBook.com about Bruce's confrontation with Alfred Pennyworth in the season finale and that fateful moment when he plunged a sword in his chest at the behest of Ra's Al Ghul.
"That was tough," Mazouz said. "I know that was the most emotionally difficult scene I've ever had to shoot on this show — maybe ever. I didn't want to watch it when it first came out. I skipped over and then I was too curious. I went back and watched it. But I didn't want to watch it at first because it was so emotionally- it took a lot out of me. Normally I can snap in and out of modes. If my character's crying in a scene, I can usually get in and out of it pretty quickly. But this, it took me I think a solid day to really get out of that because Bruce is at his lowest point ever at that moment."
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In most of the different mediums in which the characters appear, Alfred not only raises Bruce into the strong man he is, but he also serves as a guiding light. Mazouz took that to heart while filming that scene, and their connection helped inform his mental state while filming.
"I feel like Alfred is his moral compass," Mazouz said. "Alfred is his moral rock. It's clear when Bruce got further from his better judgement than he's ever been at the end of Season 3, it's Alfred — killing Alfred — that brought him back. For Bruce, it was really, really hard. It was tough to have fake blood spurting out of Sean [Pertwee]'s chest because I love Sean. But it was a really great day and I was really happy with the final result."
Of course, dead is only a temporary state in stories like this, especially when dealing with Lazarus Pits. Alfred takes a dip in the reinvigorating pool and is later reunited with Bruce.
Their conversation following that scene helps push Bruce further down the path toward becoming the infamous vigilante he's destined to be, as evidenced by his final scene in the episode.
We'll see how stabbing Alfred in the chest affects their relationship moving forward, but the Wayne butler has always been one to let bygones be bygones. After all, he did get better.
Gotham's origin story continues to unfold, and as the show enters its fourth season, the stakes will be higher than ever! With the Court of Owls decimated, the aftermath of the Tetch virus crippling the city, and every (surviving) villain in Gotham's underworld jockeying for power, Jim Gordon and the GCPD will have their hands full. And that's just the beginning! What threat does Ra's al Ghul pose, and will Penguin regain his title as the King of Gotham? What new villains are in store for season four, and what does Bruce Wayne's season finale reveal mean for Gotham City — and his ultimate destiny?
Gotham stars Ben McKenzie as Detective James Gordon, Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock, David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne, Morena Baccarin as Leslie Thompkins, Sean Pertwee as Alfred, Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, Erin Richards as Barbara Kean, Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle/the future Catwoman, Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma/the future Riddler, Jessica Lucas as TabithaGalavan, Chris Chalk as Lucius Fox, Drew Powell as Butch Gilzean, Maggie Geha as the future Poison Ivy, Michael Chiklis as Detective Nathaniel Barnes, Benedict Samuel as Mad Hatter.
Gotham returns to FOX for Season 4 this fall.
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