Jada Pinkett Smith Talks 'Gotham's Fish Mooney

Jada Pinkett Smith, who plays mobster Fish Mooney on FOX’s Gotham, may not be a pre-existing character in the DCU, but she’s now an established one. The actress recently sat down to discuss how far she’s come and where she may be going as the series progresses.

"Well, it’s not quite over yet, but we’ll see if Fish survives the season. It’s a little tense from here on out. That’s for sure. It’s a little rough on Fish from here on out.I think you’re going to see a lot more color from Fish in the next episodes to come. I think you’re going to see a lot more vulnerability. I think you’re going to see a lot more of a human side of Fish Mooney.I see Fish Mooney as kind of an extreme version of a woman. A woman who wears many faces. A woman who is strong, but yet afraid. I would say that the Fish Mooney character has, especially in these coming episodes, been really fun and I love how smart and perceptive that she is. She just decided to use her skills — you know, she’s a criminal. She decided to be a criminal instead of a doctor. But I really love her, and I love what’s she becoming too. I think in the next few episodes, and definitely towards the end, you’re going to see a whole different Fish, and a woman that definitely has some heart. You’ve seen the ruthless, now you’re going to see some heart."

When asked about finding a voice for a new character in an old universe:

"I think one of the reasons why the role was so interesting to me was because it was something that Bruno [Heller] really wanted a partner in, creating this Fish Mooney character, and I love female gangsters. I just love them. I think that they’re really interesting characters and interesting people. There’s one, Griselda Blanco, who I had studied, and I also love the character from “Sunset Boulevard.”I did kind of a mish-mosh of those two, because Bruno had some suggestions, and it’s coming together, and I was like “Wow, I would really love to do a mixture of these two women, because the one thing I love about the super villains and Gotham [City], is that they’re always so colorful.” I really wanted her to be grounded, but also have quite a flair.I love comic books, so it’s been a real pleasure to be able to participate in this way, for sure."

Well played. That;s what fanboys like to hear.

Jada Pinkett Smith Talks ‘Gotham’s Fish Mooney

By Skip Harvey | Feb 2, 2015