From Wizard Magazine Issue: 200 "Platinum"
Gary Oldman; Gotham's top on his return in July18th's "The Dark Knight," Harvey Dent's debut and Heath Leger's role as the Joker.
W-Jim Gordan gets promoted to commissioner in the film,This time around,Gary. So, I guess congratulations are in order.
G-Thank you. How much do you know about it? I don't want to give too much away.
W-I'll stop you before you say too much. (Laughs)
G-Right. Well,without going into the plot or going beat by beat, there's more, I guess,an emotional arc with this one and this big,big scene that I have in the finale with Two-Face. I'm better used in this one (Laughs)
W-In the first film, Batman shows up and says,"Here I am,Gordan. You have to deal with it or you're out." How does that relationship evolve in this film?
G-Well,it's evolved and it's developed,But the official policy is to arrest Batman. So there's still that element there. I'm dealing with this vigilante who's running around dressed as a bat.
W-How does your character feel about Batman now? Are they partners in a way?
G-Oh,I trust him,I think. Yeah. I mean, In the sense it has developed and he's an ally,but there's a tension there. There's and underlying kind of tension there because of what he does and who he is.
W-How does Harvey Dent affect your relationship with Batman?
G-Well, He becomes the D.A. and then he's another, I wouldn't say 'wild card,' But I mean he's he's another headstrong character, another character, a real character in that sense to deal with.
W-He's going to be hard to keep out of it.
G- Yeah, and that he's like [Batman]. He's as headstrong and stubborn as you are. So I've got Batman on this side and I've got Harvey Dent on this side. It's tough policing this city.
W-Several of the creative team members have referenced Johhny Rotten in regard to the Joker. Do you think that's accurate?
G- You know what, I think that all along with this Director Chris Nolan has tried to root the thing in some reality, and you know where the franchise ended up, and so he wanted to make it more realistic given the framework that it's "Batman." He wanted it to be more realistic and darker and edgier rather like the comic book, and so the inspiration for the Joker is punk, which explains the colored clothes and so it is very sort of Johnny Rotten, very punk. The smile and the scars from a razor and he's got like a sort of rinse, a green rinse that remains there in his hair, and so you look at him an he's very forbidding and not like a clown. It's very dangerous, Very unhinged. It's like Coco the Clown on crack.
-Whew, I typed that as fast as I could.-
