Por Albert Ching 23 Nov 2015
Much like "Gotham" viewers, Jessica Lucas has questions about her character's past, present and future. But there's no question that as Tabitha Galavan, the actor has cemented her place among Gotham City's most dangerous and intriguing residents. Which is no small feat considering her character is one created specifically for the television series, with no comic book counterpart to draw from for inspiration.
Along with her brother Theo (James Frain), Tabitha has been instigating chaos and causing bloodshed across Gotham City's pre-Batman-protected skyline. Ahead of tonight's episode, "The Son of Gotham," Lucas spoke with CBR about what happens as Tabitha continues to strike out on her own, getting physical with Alfred (Sean Pertwee) and the twisted sibling rivalry she and Theo have developed over Barbara Kean (Erin Richards).
CBR News: Tabitha Galavan doesn't exist in the comic books, so there was no source material for you to look to in preparing for the role. How did you go about finding her voice?
Jessica Lucas: I had an official conversation with Danny Cannon when I booked the role about what their plan for her was. Really, all I had to go on were the scripts in creating her. I had to slowly build her as information was given to me [in the scripts] because I didn't have a lot to go on.
Right away, Tabitha demonstrated a knack for guns, whips and sharp objects. How proficient were you with those various weapons beforehand?
Not at all. I've done a lot of genre projects, but I've never even shot a gun on set before. It was a very steep learning curve for me. I was thrown on set with a whip on the very first day. The stunt team on our show is tremendous and has been very patient with me. It's been great and a lot of fun.
For a while, there was a creepy love triangle developing between Tabitha, her brother Theo and Barbara Kean. What's your take on Tabitha's relationship with the two of them?
I initially thought that was going to be more of a thing. In reading the episodes as they went on, Barbara was manipulated by Tabitha to use against her brother, to make her brother jealous and just to mess with him. They are all a little crazy. In this last episode, it seemed on the surface like she really cared for Barbara. It was more of a battle between Tabitha and Theo. Tabitha finally has an opportunity to branch out on her own, and she's reckless. He needs to be there to rein her in.
Tabitha came across as jealous at times.
Yeah, but I think that's more about Theo and Tabitha. He's in charge, so there's a power struggle over Barbara. It's not necessarily about feelings. It's more like a piece of meat has been thrown into the pen, and they are both fighting over who is going to get it.
How on board is Tabitha with Theo's grand scheme of revenge against Bruce Wayne?
That comes to light very soon. She doesn't think about the overall plan. Tabitha's there to carry out the action. She's a woman of action, and I don't think she spends a lot of time thinking about it the way that he does. I'm not even sure how she's entrenched in this whole family back story like he is.
Tabitha broke Oswald Cobblepot's control over Butch, but much like the original process that placed Butch in Oswald's control, viewers didn't see how you borke him from it. Since that happened off screen, did you and Drew discuss what exactly went down?
No, we didn't, but that storyline is something that's not fully wrapped up yet. I honestly don't know. I think it was some sort of conditioning, some sort of torture. That's the thing -- it's supposed to be left up to the imagination.
Before they broke his control over Butch, the Galavans attempted to manipulate Oswald for their own ends. In what ways did they underestimate him?
Well, they just did. I don't necessarily think there was a lot of research on who Penguin was. They just saw an opportunity to use him to assist in their plan, or Theo did, anyways. It's just been so easy for them so far. They thought if they used his weakness, which was his mother, they'd be set. They were wrong. They severely underestimated his resilience.
Since she's the one who actually killed Oswald's mother, how afraid should Tabitha be of Penguin?
I think she should be very afraid, but that's not something you are going to see play out for a while. It will be interesting to see where Tabitha goes over the next few episodes. I think people are going to be in for a bit of a surprise.
In the wake of his control over the Penguin falling apart, just as he was taking over the office of Mayor, Theo found himself arrested and thrown in jail. How does his incarceration affect their plans?
At that point, it puts a damper on things. Tabitha is on her own and has been ousted from the penthouse. She's fighting for survival. In episode 10, there's a great sequence between her and Alfred. It gets pretty physical.
There's that, and Theo is going to trial. It remains to be seen whether he gets off, and, if not, do they have another trick up their sleeves? Probably.
What pits Tabitha against Alfred in "The Son of Gotham," and how does he fare?
Up until now, Tabitha has had a lot of opponents, and they've been no contest to her. Alfred is the first person who has given her a run for her money. It makes for an interesting dynamic. It's a very exciting physical sequence. I'm really proud of it; we worked our asses off.
What else is in store for Tabitha over the next few episodes before the winter break?
Big changes are coming her way. The Order of St. Dumas is going to come to a head. That represents a lot of change for Tabitha.
How much will viewers learn about Tabitha's upbringing and what shaped her? Do you still have your own questions about her past?
Yeah, I do. I don't know. That's not really a question for me. I'm not sure what the writers' intentions are going forward. It could happen and I hope that it does because it's something I'm curious about.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/artic ... and-alfred
Por Jolie Lash 23 Nov, 2015 11:09 AM PST
After their meteoric rise in "Gotham," the Galavans have hit a rough patch.
Theo is in jail and Jessica Lucas' character Tabitha recently failed in her attempt to have Jim Gordon assassinated by one of The Lady's (Michelle Gomez) associates. Sending thugs after Gordon didn't sit well with Theo (James Frain) and it's made for frosty family relations.
"It's strained," Jessica told Access Hollywood of Theo and Tabitha's current relationship, ahead of Monday night's episode on Fox. "I think considering what happened last episode, considering that she did something reckless and went against what he would do and it all went horribly wrong… and he threatened her, and that created a lot of [strain] between them. And you'll continue to see that play out, and those cracks are going to get deeper and wider, and the resentment will continue to build between them. It's sort of been like a kind of undercurrent between them, but it's going to get a lot louder coming up."
But, before that happens, there's a big, physical conflict on the way between Tabitha and another character. Tabitha (Tigress) is about to take on Bruce Wayne's loyal and fierce butler Alfred (Sean Pertwee), when he comes looking for his young charge at the Galavans' penthouse. And as the preview reveals, things are going to get messy.
"It's the first time that Tabitha has come across someone who has given her a bit of a challenge," Jessica said, teasing the big match-up. "Everything has been easy for her so far, and borderline boring as she would say, but this is sort of the first time that someone has matched her in skills and so [it makes] for a really great sequence and it was a lot of fun and stressful to shoot. I mean, we had a very small amount of time to put it together, but Sean and I worked really hard and we had some amazing stunt doubles that helped us out and it's a great sequence. I'm really excited for people to see it."
While Tabitha takes on Alfred, Jim will need to be on the look out for Theo, who on Monday night is exonerated and released from jail.
"I think as long as Theo's around, Jim is in danger and he [will] be until he can eradicate the Galavans in some way, or get Theo off his back. So that's what the next episode really focuses on is can he bring Theo down? I don’t know if he can," she said.
Another person with the Galavans in their sights is Penguin, who wants to avenge his mother. He may be recuperating now, but don't count him out of the anti-Galavan faction in the episodes ahead.
"I think their paths diverge for the moment, but I don't think that he's finished with Tabitha, I wouldn't think, in any way," Jessica said.
Playing Tabitha this season on the Fox comic book-inspired drama has been a welcome challenge for the actress. As viewers have seen, Tabitha is the muscle of the Galavan family, while Theo's the politician, schemer and talker.
"I've been looking to do something physical for a long time, because I grew up playing sports and I love working out and things like that, so I wanted to do a role that was a bit more physical. And it's challenging because she speaks more through her physicality than she actually does speak, you know? She's more physical than auditory, so as an actor, that's incredibly challenging because you're trying to get across the same level of emotion or the same level of character without speaking much," Jessica said.
"So that was the challenge for me and it has been challenging, but really rewarding and fun and I'm really loving it," she added.
http://www.accesshollywood.com/articles ... ht-alfred/
Por Matt Fowler 23 Nov 2015
With Gotham's fall half-season nearing a close, Theo Galavan's plan to cleanse Gotham - to destroy the city so he can rebuild it in his name - is most certainly escalating. Theo may be behind bars, but his "brothers" have already arrived - violent monks out to perform blood rituals. But where does this leave his sister Tabitha? When we last saw the two of them, Theo was severely scolding her for defying his orders. Even going so far as to threaten her life.
I spoke to actress Jessica Lucas about what lies ahead for Tabitha. We spoke about this week's big episode, "The Son of Gotham," where she'll throw down with Sean Pertwee's Alfred, and what the future holds for the Galavan sibling who may not be all that into city-destroying and hundred-year-old grudges. We also chatted about Barbara and what feelings, if any, Tabitha may have had for crazy Ms. Kean.
IGN: Where do we find Tabitha in the next episode? What's her story for "The Son of Gotham?"
Jessica Lucas: Well, Tabitha has sort of been ousted from her home, so she's in hiding. And on her own and away from her brother and trying to survive. There's actually a great sequence that happens between her and Alfred where they get into a very physical altercation. A brutal interaction. And it was amazing. So much fun. If there's two characters you may not have thought would ever get into it on this show, it might be them. And so that's really what's coming up for her in the short-term. Obviously, there's other stuff going on in her mind because her brother's in jail and she wonders if he's going to get out.
IGN: The last time we saw Tabitha and Theo together, he threatened to kill her. Is this the first time he's done that, do you think?
Lucas: I guess, what I think, is that there's always been an undercurrent of resentment between the two of them in their relationship. And that sort of plays over everything no matter what they're doing and all their interactions. But I don't think he threatened her like that ever before. Not that specifically. But I also don't think she ever really went against him before either. Not like she just did. Or branched out on her own or done something so reckless before. So I think as much as that dynamic has existed, this was the first time he's voiced his disapproval in such a violent way. So it was surprising.
IGN: What about these monks that have shown up in the city. Is there any connection there to something like the League of Assassins from the comics?
Lucas: I don't know about that or what sort of stories they could be drawing from in the comics, but it's all tied into Galavan's plan and the Order of St. Dumas and the larger scheme. It's all part of his plan to bring down Gotham and then rebuild it. But I don't think Tabitha's as invested in all of this as Theo is. She's usually like "Yeah yeah, whatever. Wake me up when there's something exciting to do." So I don't know that this story is anything that will continue with her beyond the next couple of episodes. Her agenda isn't always going to be tied into her brother's plan, I'll just say.
IGN: The midseason finale is coming up quick. What can you say about it?
Lucas: A lot of this storyline will be tied up. But it will also represent new beginnings for some people. It's also going to lead into the introductions of some new characters like Victor Fries and Hugo Strange, who'll be a big part of the second half of the season. But it almost feels, for me anyhow, that it represents a new beginning for Tabitha, in a sense.
IGN: Tabitha defied Theo, basically, because of what happened to Barbara. Was she falling for Barbara? I know a lot of their relationship was off-screen, and we'd only see the remnants of the kinky things they were doing, but did she have deeper feelings for her?
Lucas: I don't know that she had deep feelings really. Tabitha's not a very emotional person. That's clear early on. I think she just developed an attachment to Barbara. And so it became "Something was taken from me." A possession. I doubt she truly cares about Barbara as a person. Barbara represented a certain companionship for her, but I don't know that their relationship was anything more than that. She was a toy. A device that could be manipulated by both Theo and Tabitha, and even be used in the power struggle between them. A toy, basically. And I think it was also her gaining some independence and stepping out on her own and thinking "This is my opportunity to do something without Theo." But she didn't succeed. But I think that whole moment with her hiring the assassins was more about doing something independent from Theo than it was about revenge for Barbara.
IGN: I have to know what it was like filming scenes with Richard Kind while his head was in a box. I imagine those were pretty funny parts to shoot.
Lucas: [laughs] What's interesting is, there was a scene that wound up getting cut out of the premiere that had Richard in the box and everything and we were all having dinner and he was sitting across from us. And so that was my only interaction with Richard Kind in the box. And it was amazing because he's such a great and funny actor. But that got left out of the episode. And so in the scene where we're whipping the guy in the box, it was a stunt double. So all that wasn't Richard, even though it was still fun to film.
IGN: What have been some of your favorite moments from this half-season?
Lucas: The physical stuff has been incredible. And something that I didn't know whether or not I'd ever get the opportunity to do. So that's been awesome. And getting to work opposite James Frain has been an amazing learning experience. I just respect him a lot as a person and as an actor and he's just been a great person to communicate with and try to build a relationship with.
IGN: Speaking of the physical stuff, I feel like there were episodes where Tabitha didn't speak at all. Did you ever get scripts with no dialogue and just all action? Did you like that?
Lucas: I did! It just presents a unique and interesting challenge. Because you have to be able to get things across without speaking. Which I don't think I've ever done before. Trying to build up a character who doesn't speak very often is a lot of fun and very different for me. It's about trying to find moments and looks and glances. And then using the few lines that she does have and make them mean even more.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/11/23/ ... fred-brawl