Tag: Interview

EXCLUSIVE Sean Pertwee Gotham Interview – Gotham TV Podcast Episode 34

In our exclusive Sean Pertwee Gotham interview we got to chat with Sean about life at Wayne Manor as protector and butler to the most eligible young bachelor in Gotham, Bruce Wayne. Some of the other fascinating points we got to discuss in the interview included:

  • A tease of what’s to come in the second half of season one of Gotham including some exciting developments for Sean’s character Alfred in Episode 17.
  • The process of filming episodes with David Mazouz at Wayne Manor
  • Alfred’s experience in the wider city of Gotham and working with the wider cast including Donal Logue, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Drew Powell.
  • His experience as a young actor on the set of cult space horror film “Event Horizon”
  • How Sean uses his bodyguard training from a previous role to inform his “kick-arse” Alfred
  • His excitement to see another Alfred in Batman V Superman : Dawn of Justice
  • Of course we also asked about his favourite type of tea and finally get an answer to the question plaguing everyone’s mind since Episode 2 of Gotham “When exactly is tea-time?”

We also posed some of our listeners questions to him about his approach to playing the character of Alfred, Doctor Who and the influence of his father John Pertwee on his career.

It was an absolute pleasure getting another chance to catch up with our favourite ex-military butler and genuinely one of our favourite British actors Sean Pertwee.

If you’d like to send us your thoughts on this or any other episode you can email us at [email protected]

John and Derek

Gotham TV Podcast

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Date recorded: 19/02/2015
Date published: 20/02/2015
MP3, 35:15 mins 128kbps, 32.2 MB

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Gotham TV Podcast Special – Gotham Interview with Victoria Cartagena and Andrew Stewart-Jones

We teamed up with Legends of Gotham for a live Gotham Interview with Victoria Cartagena and Andrew Stewart-Jones Gotham’s Major Crimes Unit. You can watch the live interview below or listen to an audio version of the podcast.

We want to thank Victoria and Andrew again for joining us and as always a huge thanks to Bill Meeks and Ann-Marie Desimone for working with us and bringing together a really fun interview.

if you want to contact us you can email us at [email protected]
or email [email protected] or [email protected]

You can follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/GothamTVPodcast
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NYCC Interviews Constantine – with Angélica Celaya – Gotham TV Podcast Exclusive

Exclusive:  Gotham TV Podcast were lucky enough to sit down at New York Comic Con 2014 to discuss Constantine with Matt Ryan (John Constantine), Angélica Celaya (Zed) and show creator and executive producer David S. Goyer. The roundtable interview included questions from other journalists present and our own questions to the cast and creator.

In our final Constantine interview we caught up with Angélica Celaya who plays Zed about what drew her to the role of Zed, her connection with John Constantine, staying in with the bad boys of Hellblazer to prepare for her role and her favourite moment so far. You can listen to our full set of interviews from New York Comic Con on the podcast below with or you can read on for the transcript of Ms. Celaya’s interview.

Question – So what really drew you the most to Zed?

Her sarcasm, I love her sarcasm. I love that she doesn’t take any crap from anybody especially John. I like that she is, you know, a little sneaky and she’s rough and she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty. I like that she’s an empowering woman. I love it.

Question – Hellblazer was a very long running series and Constantine is in the New 52, he’s got his own series. When you got the part of Zed how much did you go and read to catch up on who she [Zed] is?

Well they gave me volumes of Hellblazer and it was like here you go this is Zed; and I stayed in, instead of having a Saturday night out with my friends and stuff, I stayed in with the bad boys of Hellblazer and it knocked my socks off. That’s why I get the sarcasm  and understanding her it’s like…OH! I see you!

Question – What can you tell us about how Zed enters the picture in the TV series. Are you able to tell us anything about that?

Well the new trailer came out yesterday (October 9th), a little teaser, and we see her drawing and she is lost in her [own] head. Zed is lost and she just crashes in to the world of John Constantine. Its just like, whatever is going on in your head is reality and it is that realisation of you’re not crazy and that’s Zed in this first moment that we meet her.

GTVP Question – We caught the pilot screening on Thursday and its quite a creepy ending, you’re drawing away and there is all those iconic pictures of John Constantine . There seems to be a psychic connection between the two of you. How much of a connection is there and how does that play out over the series?

It evolves, it becomes even more, it gets crazy, it gets messed up, it gets to the point where she opens…oh my God… I wish I could tell you it’s more than what we see [from the pilot] that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It becomes a whole new level for Zed each episode gets bigger.

Question – So obviously you’ve just started, but how long have you been filming and, without spoiling too much, do you have a favourite moment of your time as Zed?

So we’ve been filming since July. So we’ve been going for a while and we’re so eager for October 24th to come. My favourite moment…favourite moment,  I mean it’s a moment between John and me on the couch, in the mill house, and it’s our first moment where we are real with each other. Where he’s not sarcastic and I’m not being, you know, a bitch [laugh]. I’m not rough, I have no walls around me and I am what I am; that’s my favourite moment because it’s the real Zed not this facade she puts out there so she can hide.

Question – Who do you think is your biggest ally at the moment?

John Constantine, he’s the teacher, he is  to me, you know, as Zed he’s my teacher. He’s the one that explains to me and leads me in to this world; and Zed is this very eager learner you know, yes, yes I want to learn more and more and get in there. So it’s John.

Constantine

NYCC Interviews Constantine – with David S. Goyer – Gotham TV Podcast Exclusive

Exclusive:  While at New York Comic Con this year Gotham TV Podcast were lucky enough to see the pilot of the other big DC show Constantine. The show premiered in the US on NBC on Friday the 24th of October and we sat down at a roundtable at New York Comic Con 2014 to discuss Constantine with Matt Ryan (John Constantine), Angélica Celaya (Zed) and show creator and executive producer David S. Goyer. The roundtable includes questions from other journalists present and our own questions to the cast and creator.

In our Constantine interview we caught up with show runner David S. Goyer who chatted with us about the refreshing change of pace writing Constantine, the fun of the punk influence on the character and the music for the show, his admiration for the Hellblazer comic series and he revealed that someone will turn up on John Constantine’s doorstep to pick up the Helmet of Nabu. You can listen to the full interview on our podcast below or read on for the full interview with Mr. Goyer

Question – You’ve done a lot of TV and you’ve done a lot of movies contrast the experience?

Someone once said that movies is more like oil painting and TV is like water colour. The turnover time in TV is a lot faster, movies you have a lot more time to perfect everything. With TV it’s sometimes that by the time you’re in to your third draft, its time to go. So on one hand that time constraint is harder but also sometimes its better not to over think things and go with your first instinct. But with television you also get to revisit characters and have characters grow and change over the course of the season and this has already happened in our first season. We’ve had a couple of actors come in and really blow us away and we’ve thought “Oh they’re really amazing” and so we’ve brought them back a couple of episodes later.

Question – So in looking at the original version of the pilot and then the pilot that we’ll see later. What do you think is the biggest change in terms of where the show is going now versus where the show might have been going when we saw  the trailer back in May?

Well when we first started adapting Constantine I think there was some concern with the audience that we needed a character that was from the audience point of view that was not apart of this world. So we created a character that was not part of the comic books, named Liv, that embodied that point of view. We made the pilot and Lucy who played her did a great job, but as we started breaking the subsequent stories we thought it would be much more interesting and challenging if someone were more of that world and having seen the pilot we were able to convince NBC that maybe we should go in that direction. So we selected a character called Zed, who’s also from the comic books, and she has a really interesting back story, she’s not a blank slate, she’s got a lot of mysteries. She was able to go toe-to-toe more with  John and it made for some more interesting dynamics. I think with John and Liv, you know, John was sort of the cut up and Liv was the straight man or straight woman and with Zed they flip flopped those roles and it’s just more interesting.

Question  – You’ve worked on a lot of different comic book adaptations. When you approached doing Constantine compared to some of the more superhero properties was there a difference in how you approach the characters themselves or did they feel the same way?

Sure, I mean John doesn’t have any superpowers, he’s not a billionaire, he’s not an alien from another planet, he’s just a regular bloke. He doesn’t have a costume, he doesn’t have a secret identity. If someone arrests him and throws him in jail he is in trouble and that does happen in the first season. He can’t just swoop in and have someone expunge his record. It’s kind of interesting, after having written Batman and Superman, to write someone who doesn’t have access to those powers or that infinite amount of wealth to help him out. He’s also not a hero hero, I mean he’s a jerk, and it’s really refreshing to write a character that’s a jerk.

GTVP Question – We saw the helmet of Doctor Fate in the pilot screening. How far is Constantine going to delve in to the mythology that has been established within the comics?

Should we continue on long enough the plan is that we have access to the broader occult DC universe. So even in the first twelve episodes you’ll see two or three characters that show up that aren’t part of Hellblazer proper that are part of the larger DC universe; and the plan is that eventually someone will show up at John’s door to collect that helmet.

Question – You’re dealing with a supernatural version of the universe in a number of projects, so it’s a very different approach than taking a more straight forward superhero based in science fiction or the real world. How is it to envision things in that way?

It’s a really refreshing change of pace, its nice to be doing something that’s scary, it’s nice to be doing something that’s a bit more funny. I’m a huge fan of John’s roots he was created in the 80’s with a real punk sensibility and we’ve actually licensed a lot of punk songs in the show. I’m proud to say, I don’t know if this is a first or not, but we licensed a Sex Pistols song for episode three. So that is pretty fun having John Constantine listening to the Sex Pistols. I think he listens to Buzzcocks. [Interviewer] Gang of Four? Not yet but hopefully we’ll get there, maybe we’ll get some Cramps and Dead Kennedys.

Question – When there is such a rich pool of characters that you can pull from, how do you decide which ones you are going to bring in to the story and at when is a good time?

It’s story based. So we don’t say “OK we’re going to do a story about Doctor Occult” and I’m not saying we have done a story about Doctor Occult per se. We talk about where it would be good for the story to go or come up with an idea for a story; and then we think if there is an appropriate character in the DC universe that fits with that story and makes sort of sense in an organic way to bring that character in. That’s how Jim Corrigan entered in to the show as a a reoccurring character because we had a need for a homicide detective; and so we thought “You know let’s bring in Corrigan”.

Question – Hellblazer is such a long running series, there are so many storylines that you can choose, there are so many different runs. Do you have a favourite, a particular story line form Hellblazer?

You know I have a lot of favourite story lines and I will say even though the first season loosely tracks American Gothic we’ve already adapted within the first twelve episodes a couple of other singular issues. We’re trying to do a version of one of the Delano issues early on right now. We did a really cool version of the Hunger Demon issue that’s actually one of our better episodes, I think, so far.

Question – How soon do we learn more about Chaz?

Episodes nine or ten, we’ll turn over some cards relating to him.

Question – Do you have a hell of a comic book art collection? Who is you favourite artist?

I’ve got some choice pages. I mean old school [Jack] Kirby and contemporary I really like Steve Rude a lot.

Gotham TV Podcast Exclusive: In the Interview Room with Gotham’s Victoria Cartagena and Andrew Stewart-Jones

EXCLUSIVE: There are many fascinating pairings set for Gotham, from Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock to Fish Mooney and Oswald Cobblepot, and Gotham TV Podcast got the opportunity to interrogate the Detective partnership of Renee Montoya (Victoria Cartagena) and Crispus Allen (Andrew Stewart-Jones) about the TV show, their characters, the role of the Montoya / Allen partnership and the influence of the comic series Gotham Central on the show. We get to hear that their off-screen friendship is as strong as their on-screen partnership, we find out Victoria Cartagena’s favourite arc of the comic series Gotham Central and we uncover some details about Detective Allen’s past.

In the build up to the release of the Gotham premiere on Fox in the USA (22nd September) and Channel 5 in the UK, our look at the comic series Gotham Central shows the importance of this detective partnership to the Major Crimes Unit (M.C.U.) of the Gotham City Police Department and we can’t wait to see this great Detective alliance brought to the screen. You can read the interview below but there’s nothing better than hearing them in person. Check out the full interview where they answer all of our questions.

 

Gotham TV Podcast: What drew you to audition for a role in the upcoming batman prequel series Gotham? Did you have much exposure to previous incarnations of this universe such as the movies, comics or TV shows?

Victoria Cartagena (Renee Montoya): When I got the call for the audition there was no script there were only dummy sides [scenes unconnected to the TV show Gotham], however, I was aware that it had something to do with Batman’s Gotham and, because I’d been a fan all my life, I certainly wanted a chance to be part of the show. Because i grew up watching the Batman re-runs with Adam West and seeing all the Batman films from the 80s, 90s all the way up to the Nolan films, I’ve seen them all in the theatre so I was definitely familiar and excited to even audition for it.

Andrew Stewart-Jones (Crispus Allen): Honestly, the audition was one of a bunch on Valentine’s Day this year. I was just trying to get through the day. At the time, I had no idea what I might be getting involved in.  Also the role was a possible recurring so although that is wonderful, I was already auditioning for series regulars roles so this wasn’t high on the list. I should add that the folks behind Gotham were very secretive. I had no idea exactly what I was reading for.

 

GTVP: You’ve been cast in the roles of Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen, detectives in the Gotham City Police Department (G.C.P.D.). What qualities of the character of Montoya and Allen drew you to their characters?

Cartagena: I love that she’s passionate and fiercely loyal and I’m really drawn to what a bad-ass she is. Cause she certainly has a swagger, that I don’t, so that’s fun to play. She works with some really tough guys but she can hang with the best of them. And as an actor I appreciate that she’s flawed. She’s strong and intelligent but at the same time she’s quick to anger and it sometimes clouds her judgment. So she’s tough but vulnerable too and that’s always interesting to play.

Stewart-Jones: Without a doubt, his moral compass would always be his outstanding quality. In a world so dark and corrupt, Allen has his eye on the right way to do things. I love that.

 

GTVP: This is the first screen outing for Renee Montoya. She is known in the comics to have a complex and interesting back story in both her professional and private life. Will we see any of these complexities play out in the TV series?

Cartagena: So I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future but in the episodes we have shot you will DEFINITELY get a glimpse into the complex relationships, for sure (laughs).

GTVP: This is also the first screen outing for Allen. He is known in the comics to be fiercely loyal to his friends but doesn’t suffer fools lightly.  Will we see any of these strong character traits play out in the TV series?

Stewart-Jones: Rob Brown played a G.C.P.D. officer by the name of Allen in The Dark Knight Rises. Just FYI.  But yes, this is Crispus Allen’s big debut as such.  You’ve basically described me, Andrew, to a tee… so yes.

Jim Brown V4 Dark Knight Rises

GTVP to Victoria Cartagena: Another important person in Renee’s life is Detective Crispus Allen, your partner in the G.C.P.D. Given they have such a close relationship how has it been creating and developing that bond with Andrew Stewart Jones?

Cartagena: I absolutely could not have asked for a better screen partner. From the first day we walked on to set we had this immediate connection and he’s become a really great friend and I think that our bond keeps strengthening the more that we work together and its certainly transferred onto the screen. He’s just an amazing actor, a very generous actor and a lot of fun to be around. So I’m really just grateful to be able to be his partner.

GTVP to Andrew Stweart-Jones: Detective Allen is very protective of Renee Montoya, his partner in the G.C.P.D., and is known in the comics to have her back in many tough situations both in the field and in the office. Are you enjoying creating this partnership with Victoria Cartagena as Renee Montoya?

Stewart-Jones: Working with Victoria is an absolute honor and a treat. She is incredible. Very giving, funny and gullible. So susceptible to all of my shenanigans – which I LOVE!  The on-screen relationship, I believe, will benefit from the instant connection we had as professionals.

 

GTVP to Victoria Cartagena: We’ve been covering the comic series Gotham Central in the lead up to the show and have particularly been enjoying the interplay between your character and Crispus Allen. We know that you’ve been reading the series too. Are there any standout moments that you read and would like to see transferred to the TV series?

Cartagena: I really love the story arc for Renee in Half a Life [issues 5 – 9] she went through a lot of highs and lows. So I really hope it makes it onto the show because what stood out to me was how strong the bond is between Montoya and Allen. During those really tough times (Crispus) Allen was the only one that really went to bat for her and he had her back without question. You could just see how fiercely loyal they are to one another. So they’re more than partners, they’re friends or…more like family actually. I hope that the audience get to see that bond and it was important for me to read that on paper to make sure we were getting the job done.

GTVP to Andrew Steward-Jones: We’ve been covering the comic series Gotham Central in the lead up to the show and have particularly been enjoying the interplay between your character and Renee Montoya. We know a number of the cast have been given Gotham Central to prepare for their roles. Were you given any reading material to guide your preparation of your character and to what extent do you balance this with the bringing new ideas to the role?

Stewart-Jones: I wasn’t asked to read anything but I’m a bit of a comic nut. I didn’t want to just lift the character off the comic book pages and present him on people’s screens. I wanted him to be human. Accessible. But, at the same time, I am committed to always having the comic as the foundation upon which I build.

 

GTVP to Victoria Cartagena: Gotham has many different characters on the path to greater destinies, Jim Gordon eventually becomes the Commissioner of the G.C.P.D., the young Bruce Wayne will in adulthood become the Batman and Oswald Cobblepot is taking his first steps on the road to leading the criminal underworld, which of these narratives most excites you?

Cartagena: I’ve had the privilege to do at least one scene with all of these actors so I’m just looking forward to what each one of them brings to the story because they are so talented and they bring their own unique and original take on the portrayal so it’s just going to be thrilling to watch. (My answer is) all of them.

GTVP to Andrew Stewart-Jones: Gotham has some other interesting characters on the payroll of the G.C.P.D., there is the mystery of Edward Nygma, the intensity of Jim Gordon’s moral code, the political aspirations of Captain Sarah Essen and the old school style of Harvey Bullock. How does this mix of characters affect the dynamic in the G.C.P.D. and which of these characters interest you the most?

Stewart-Jones: The beauty, mystery and sheer fun of Gotham is the mufti-faceted dynamics of the relationships. It’s never ending. Always escalating. It’s fascinating to witness. I was Harvey’s partner before Gordon and so there is tension. A wound or two. Deep history. I’m closest to him. I won’t say if that’s good or bad.

 

GTVP: The fan reaction is building for this show in a big way, are you excited for the New York premiere of Gotham in September where you and your fellow cast members get to experience the fan reaction to the pilot first hand?

Victoria: For sure, I’m definitely excited. We’ve been working on this for months, it feels like a really long time and we really can’t wait to share it with the public and I really hope to hear back from the fans and I hope they enjoy it and I think that they will. So, Yes, can’t come soon enough. Just a few more weeks.

Stewart-Jones: When the word for my level of excitement is invented, I will happily use it ad nauseam. Until then we can use the longest word from Mary Poppins. It’s PGA rated, which helps.

 

GTVP: Finally, if Gotham TV Podcast were to be questioned in the suspect interview room at the G.C.P.D., which of the Montoya-Allen partnership would play the “Good Cop” and who would play the “Bad Cop”?

Victoria: This is my favourite question. So…you guys are so great that I think that there would be no need either of us to play the bad cop. But, on the off chance that one of you broke the law or you just had something that we need like some information then I’m pretty sure that Montoya would be the one to ride you until you spill the beans because she is a dog with a bone that one.Yeah I’d put my money on Montoya.

Stewart-Jones: If you ever end up being questioned by us, that information will not help you in the slightest and you will be wishing and praying to wake up from your bad dream! Gotham TV Podcast… do not cross Allen and Montoya! Oh, and thank you for this. I’ll be listening in. Enjoy the premiere.

 

Derek O’Neill and John Harrison are hosts of the Gotham TV Podcast, the unofficial podcast about the TV show Gotham and the connected DC universe. A very special thank you for this interview to Amy at Channel 5 and Holly, Marc and Steven at Warner Bros for their help and most importantly we want to thank Victoria Cartagena and Andrew Stewart-Jones for their time.

You can check out our other podcasts here. For anyone wishing to delve deeper in to the Gotham Central series you can check out our podcast reviews and discussions on the comic series: Gotham Central Review Part 1, Gotham Central Review Part 2, Gotham Central Review Part 3, Gotham Central Review Part 4, Gotham Central Review Part 5

 

Renee and Crispus Police Car (2)

 

 

 

Gotham TV Podcast Exclusive – “Victoria Cartagena and Andrew Stewart-Jones Interview” – Zero Year E15

Show Notes

In Zero Year, Episode 15 of Gotham TV Podcast we managed to track down and interrogate Victoria Cartagena (Renee Montoya) and Andrew Stewart-Jones (Crispus Allen) about their upcoming roles on Gotham. We get to hear that their off-screen friendship is as strong as their on-screen partnership, we find out Victoria Cartagena’s favourite arc of the comic series Gotham Central and we uncover some details about Detective Allen’s past.

Gotham News

⦁    Netflix have purchased the worldwide broadcast rights for Gotham before the first episode has even aired. In an unprecedented move the streaming service have purchased the streaming rights worldwide before the first episode is even broadcast. It is announced the begin streaming in 2015 after linear TV (Fox, CTV, Channel 5) complete their runs of the show. It’s not known yet if this will be as soon as the show finishes airing or whether there will be a period where Netflix will have to wait to air it so it will be available in September October 2015.

DC Connected Universe News

⦁    The Rock has finally confirmed he is to play the role of super villain/anti-hero “Black Adam” in the DC movie universe.

⦁    We’ve discussed the character Jim Corrigan’s upcoming role in NBC’s Constantine recently and today we’ve heard that Dublin actor Emmett Scanlan has been hired to play Detective Jim Corrigan in the show. Although the character is very similar to the one we discussed in our Gotham Central coverage it is more likely this Corrigan is based on the character also named Jim Corrigan who was host to the cosmic entity “The Spectre” from the 1940’s. We can’t wait to find out more.

Dan is the latest listener to enter our competition to be in with a chance to win a Penguin poster by Matthew J Fletcher. The competition is drawing to a close but you still have time to enter before the premiere of Gotham on the 22nd September. Remember we’ll send the poster worldwide and all you need to do is post a comment or send a question that we discuss on the show. Check out the website for more details.

As always thanks so much for listening and all your interactions over the last 6-months. There is now only a short time until Gotham launches in the USA hopefully it won’t be very long until we get to see the show in Europe and keep up the coverage.

Next time we’ll we will join with other Gotham podcasts in a roundtable discussion about Gotham you can join the discussion and ask questions here .

Derek & John
Gotham TV Podcast

If you have any questions or comments you can contact us any of the following ways:

You can email us at [email protected]
@gothamtvpodcast on Twitter
Facebook.com/gothamtvpodcast or just search “Gotham TV Podcast” on Facebook.
You can leave us a voicemail on Skype just search for Gotham TV Podcast.
You can also connect with us on Google + at gothamtvpodcast.

Date recorded: 08/09/2014
Date published: 08/09/2014
MP3, 25 mins, 128kbps, 23.5 MB