Donal Logue talks character, setting, villains, and more for Fox’s Gotham

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Last week it was announced that Sons of Anarchy and Terriers actor Donal Logue would be joining Fox's Gotham series as Detective Harvey Bullock, the "rough-around-the-edges" partner of a young James Gordon, played by Ben McKenzie. There's been a growing list of actors joining the show, playing a variety of different DCU characters and Logue recently addressed the  setting, themes, characters, villains, and technology of it all with Nerd Repository.

On the setting and time period of Gotham:

What I do love about Gotham, that I can say so far, is that it creates this incredible world that, for me, you can step into things that almost feel like the roaring 20s, and then there’s this other really kind of heavy Blade Runner vibe floating around. It has this anachronistic element to it where it feels like it’s either New York in the 70s, or it kind of exists independently of time and space in a way, and you can dip into all of these different genres. So I’m excited by it.

There are elements of it that are completely contemporary and there are pieces of it that are very old-fashioned. I’m excited to see which way they go with the production design and wardrobe and all that kind of stuff. My main concern to start with, I was just going over this relationship between him and Gordon, just to find out how that dynamic plays out. Just to do my homework, basically.

It’s interesting that there’s something that exists that you can watch, but Ben obviously is not going to be tied to the cartoon and who Gordon is in that. I’m going to have to take a little bit of license and bring Bullock more towards me, and not me more towards the dude in the cartoon.

On Logue's "rough-around-the-edges" Bullock conflicting with McKenzie's "idealistic" Gordon:

Not only do I foresee it, I guarantee that is the complete and utter core of the conflict. One guy’s been around Chinatown for a long time, and knows how it has to work. Someone who’s come in from a more idealistic world – not to say non-violent, he’s coming back from the war – steps into it, and absolutely there’s a huge moral quandary.

On whether or not Bullock is a recurring character:

Contractually, I’m obligated to be there. I’m gonna be around, for sure. But the story falls squarely on Jim Gordon’s shoulders, and this awesome world where we get to meet the super infamous villains of Gotham City for the first time, when they’re young. For me, that’s the really interesting part: “oh, so that’s where you come from, Riddler.”

On old villains being shown in a new light:

I don’t know if I’m not supposed to say it, but yeah. I think it’ll be fun. There will definitely be Gotham villains that you’ve come to know and love being shown in a light that… maybe it’s the first time that light’s been shone on them.

The more I hear of this show, the more interested I become. DC has shown a propensity for creating solid TV shows and it feels like they're on the right track here. I love the technological toss ups, that leave the film somewhere between futuristic and classic, much like Alex Proyas' DARK CITY. I see a lot of potential there. This really sounds like it'll be a fun show.

Gotham begins shooting in March with an eye towards a Fall debut.