Gotham has only been on for a few short weeks, yet Fox’s drama is already becoming known for its slew of well-drawn villains. Jada Pinkett Smith plays a brand new character in the Batman prequel, and recently she divulged how she was able to land the part of Fish Mooney on the high profile series. Apparently, it involves a wig, a leash and young man.
Smith actually had to audition to play Fish Mooney on Gotham, but recently at Paleyfest the actress divulged that she went in with guns blazing, metaphorically. Instead of talking with the casting people, she says she told them “let me just show you” who Fish Mooney really is. According to Vulture, her getup for the acting audition included a long gown, the devilish wig she wears on Gotham each week and, to top it off, she pulled in a man on a leash with the word “Liar” on his forehead. The word was written in lipstick. She’s not much for subtlety, that Fish Mooney.
It’s clear that Pinkett Smith really wanted the gig. She went out of her way to develop the character before she even auditioned and she understood that she wanted Mooney to be an overt villain. I mean, it’s already pretty undignified for children to be pulled around on leashes by their parents. Imagine the striking visual it must have painted for her to wield a fully grown man. Fortunately, it worked for her during the audition, and it works in Gotham.
Even though the dude on the leash story might be one of the most messed up audition tales we’ve ever read, Fish Mooney still isn’t the most villainous or mesmerizing bad guy on Gotham. Between the calculating Carmine Falcone and the strange but forward-thinking Oswald Cobblepot, there are plenty of power plays to look forward to each week. So, if you think dude on a leash is bad, think again. It’s emblematic of the many over the top characters and vibrant personalities that inhabit the same city as Bruce Wayne.
Gotham, with its glittery, sleazy backdrop has been a big draw for Fox this fall. The network has already signed on for a full season order for the show, and barring a surprise, it seems likely to be a major part of the network’s schedule for a long time to come.
Gotham airs on Monday evenings at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. As such, it’s polished, clean and not overly graphic. If you haven’t given it a chance yet, you should get on that before the show starts adding more layers of intrigue and character development, making it more difficult to catch up on.
