Morena Baccarin Interview: ‘Gotham’ Season 3 and Lee’s Relationship with Jim

Gotham cast at 2016 Comic Con
Sean Pertwee, Ben McKenzie, Michael Chiklis, Cory Michael Smith, Chris Chalk, Erin Richards, Robin Lord Taylor, Drew Powell, Camren Bicondova, Morena Baccarin, Jessica Lucas and David Mazouz from ‘Gotham’ at Comic Con (Photo by Alan Hess © 2016 Fox Broadcasting)

Fox’s Gotham will kick off its third season on September 19, 2016 and in support of the new season the cast took part in this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Co-stars and off-screen couple Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin were among the stars from the show who made it to Comic Con to talk about the upcoming season. Baccarin and McKenzie recently welcomed a baby girl into their family, with Morena’s pregnancy and the March 2nd birth of their daughter necessitating Baccarin take a short break from the series in season two. Back now and ready to further explore her character, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, Baccarin answered a few questions about the new season during roundtable interviews at Comic Con.

Morena Baccarin Interview:

How soon into the season do we get to see you appear again?

Morena Baccarin: “Right away.”

You’ve been missing for a while.

Morena Baccarin: “Yes, I have. (Laughing) Well, there was a lot of stuff going on. I come in the first episode and we’re in very different places, Jim and Leslie. She’s with somebody else, which he sees right away. They’ve got a long, uphill battle, and we’ll see if they make it.”

Is it someone we’ve seen?

Morena Baccarin: “A new character. It’s Falcone’s son. I think I’m allowed to tell you all this. Nobody’s stopping me. A thunderbolt hasn’t struck me from the sky.”

You had some time off to step away from the show. What’s it been like to gear up for your big return?

Morena Baccarin: “Well, as you know I had a baby so it was really nice to be able to spend some time at home with the kids and regroup, and now I’m excited to come back into the world that I love so much. So much has happened in these characters’ lives as well so it’s nice to start fresh.”

What’s the fresh angle on her that you got to take that got you excited for this season?

Morena Baccarin: “This new love interest is going to be very interesting because we’ve only ever seen Leslie with Jim. We’ve only ever seen their love story, and now there’s something for him to work for. It’s exciting as an actor to play that conflict. He’s certainly not a choir boy, so we’ll see what happens with his life. It will not be easy. So, they’ll have something to work towards.”


How different is this new relationship and the dynamics?

Morena Baccarin: “This is just the beginning. But I think when you go through a tragic, a traumatic event, you seek somebody that is more of a caretaker or seems more level-headed or whatever. That’s what he seems to be. Of course, it’s Gotham. Things change.”

With a cast as big as this, do you get to interact with any new characters this season?

Morena Baccarin: “I hear that I will. I haven’t yet, but I will.”

What was the last year like getting to be a part of both Gotham and Deadpool?

Morena Baccarin: “I’m pinching myself every day. I don’t know how I got so lucky to be able to be in both Marvel and DC universes and have it all be successful. It’s been really fun. I can’t wait to do more.”

Have they talked to you about the Deadpool sequel? Have they given you any details?

Morena Baccarin: “No, I don’t really know exactly what’s going on. I’ve been told I will be in it. I don’t know to what capacity or what they’re planning. I’m dying to find out. Let me know what you hear!”

With so much emphasis on the male characters in the show, as a female character on the series what would you like to see happen with Leslie?

Morena Baccarin: “Last year, because she was in service of Jim and trying to right his wrongs or they were going to start a family together, she ended up I think taking more of a passive role in Gotham, in general, and just really not having her own things going on. So it would be nice to see her side of the story a little bit, which we’ll get with this new love interest and her new life.”

Watch the Morena Baccarin interview: