Holy Gotham Batman! Many superhero and comic book fans love Batman, whether it be from movies like The Dark Knight or television shows like Gotham. The hit Fox series Gotham is now in its fourth season and features many characters from the Batman universe, including young Bruce Wayne played by David Mazouz. YEM spoke with David about playing a younger version of the iconic hero.
Young Entertainment Mag: You play Bruce Wayne on Gotham. Were you familiar with the Batman universe before being cast in this role? Were you a Batman fan?
David Mazouz: I was always a big fan of Batman. That was long before I booked the role of Bruce Wayne on Gotham. I worked on a film when I was 12 years old and the editor and I had a running argument about who could beat who between Superman and Batman long before the movie. I always favored Batman because he was a regular normal boy who grew into someone who could rise above tragedy to fight wrongs and make the world better. He’s a hero for all time.
YEM: Did you do any research when preparing for the role of Bruce Wayne? Did you look more to the Batman comic books or the Batman movies?
David: I did a ton of research when I booked the role on Gotham. Although I had always been a Batman fan, I hadn’t been a fan of reading comic books. I dove into the research in comics as well as re-watching the films and the 60’s TV show as well and emerged a huge comic book nerd! I have tons of them now and have read so many different stories I had not been familiar with before. There is so much material and it’s really so deep in terms of life lessons.
YEM: Do you have a favorite Batman movie?
David: My favorite Batman film is The Dark Knight. I love all the actors that have played Batman but the one i grew up with that is still my favorite is Christian Bale’s version. He was MY first Batman and he’s the Batman I’ve modeled my Bruce Wayne after most.
YEM: Did you feel any pressure to play the role of Bruce Wayne?
David: I didn’t feel any pressure when I booked this role in terms of playing such an important and iconic character. That is really only because I was too young and stupid to know what I was getting myself into! If I had known better, I for sure would have been very stressed and felt a lot of responsibility to play him in a way that other people wouldn’t be disappointed. I was only just 12 going on 13 when I booked the role and had been working a lot that year and just saw it initially as another role kind of disengaged from who Bruce becomes and just a boy who has this traumatic experience. I had already shot several episodes before i realized how important he was to so many people. I am so grateful that I didn’t know any better!
YEM: What is it like to be a part of such a successful FOX show?
David: It’s always great just to be working and immersing myself in different characters but it’s of course wonderful to be a part of such a successful show and I’m happy it’s made the fans happy and I’ve had a relationship with Fox for years so, of course working with everyone at Fox and WB has been a plus too.
YEM: Finally, no spoilers, but will fans get to see Bruce’s transformation into Batman? Is there a chance that viewers will you be wearing Batman’s costume on the show?
David: Unfortunately, I can’t speak about what’s going to happen in terms of Bruce’s transformation into Batman. First of all, I don’t want to ruin anything and most importantly, I have NO IDEA what the writers and producers and the network have in store for any of us. But I can’t wait to find out. Technically I’m too young still to play Batman as we know him but I think and hope that the fans can see Batman in my Bruce. If I’ve done that, I am happy.
The fourth season of Gotham is airing now on Fox!
