Fox’s Gotham season three returns on April 24, 2017 and David Mazouz promises the next eight episodes will be life-altering for his character, Bruce Wayne. Mazouz was part of the Gotham team that participated in the 2017 WonderCon in Anaheim and after taking part in a panel with Gotham fans, Mazouz sat down for roundtable interviews to discuss the third season and what’s going on with Bruce.
How do you feel about Bruce’s journey this season?
David Mazouz: “Bruce’s journey this season is one of great interest. I feel like he’s really come a long way. As we kind of teased in the panel, there’s a huge…it’s really hard to talk about it without giving it away but these last eight episodes mark a very, very, very, very, very instrumental transition for Bruce from becoming a boy to a man, and not just any man, but the Batman. And his journey will accelerate and intensify years beyond what it has any right to do – just in these last eight episodes. It’s going to be incredibly major.
I think as of now even with what’s aired, Bruce has come a very long way. I think he learned a lot in the last episode that aired with Jerome [played by Cameron Monaghan]. One of the things I really love about that episode is that Bruce had… I feel like if this happened to Bruce maybe a year before it did happen to him – this whole Jerome kidnapping ordeal – I feel like when he had the chance to escape because he was initially Jerome’s victim and he had a chance to escape. He escaped the cannon, got out of his handcuffs, and he could have left. He could have just gotten out of there and gone home, but he didn’t. He stayed behind to teach Jerome a lesson and I think that that taught me, just reading that.
I think if this happened a year ago, I don’t think he would have done that. I think he would have just left. But what it taught me is that Bruce cares about the citizens of Gotham and that’s foreshadowing to what’s going to come. He cares so much that he’s going to eventually take it upon himself the responsibility to protect them from the evils that are out there. But he wanted to teach Jerome a lesson. He wanted to say, ‘You’ve caused so much pain to all these people that I really, really genuinely care about,’ in addition to at that time Bruce thinks that Jerome killed Alfred which is also a big player in his decisions. But, he goes out and he says, ‘I’m going to inflict this pain on you.'”
You knew Bruce would get darker as the show progressed and now you’re playing two characters, one who’s slightly lighter than the other. How has that adjustment been?
David Mazouz: “They’re both pretty dark. [Laughing] It’s a dark show. There’s no light in Gotham. Yeah, I mean I feel like walking into the show as a newly turned 13 year-old boy, stepping into the role of Bruce Wayne, I feel luckily I was under a surprisingly little amount of pressure. Looking back on it now I feel like my teenage years have made me self-conscious that I would have been terrified to start this at this age. But, when I was 13, I was like, ‘Yeah, I can do this, easy. It’s just a TV show.’ It’s not, that’s the thing. It’s such an iconic character and I’m so glad that I didn’t feel so nervous to step into this.
I feel like it’s special. I feel really, really blessed to be the age that I am and to have a role that’s so, not just from an actor’s standpoint beautifully challenging, but a role that’s so dynamic and has so many layers. You know, you hear a lot of people say my role has it, but Bruce Wayne – it really, really does. You’re constantly learning new things about him. And, he’s so conflicted inside that I don’t think I could have landed a better role at any age, but especially at this point.”
What aspects of yourself go into being Bruce Wayne?
David Mazouz: “I feel like I would be arrogant in saying that I can relate to him because I, thank God, can’t. He’s been through so much and I can’t even imagine what that would do to somebody. I’ve had to try to to play him. But, I feel like if I say any quality of myself that I bring into the role I would just be arrogant, honestly, because Bruce is so amazing. I mean, he’s not real but I feel like I just want to bow down to him every single time I think about anything he does. I feel like I’m very determined and that’s of course a quality that Bruce shares with me. I guess if I had to pick something, it would be that.”
Watch the full interview with Gotham star David Mazouz:
