“Gotham” star Erin Richards stopped by the HitFix offices last week, which was a pleasant surprise because she has spent so much of her fall cooped up in Barbara Kean and James Gordon's rather palatial apartment. And even when she got out of the apartment two weeks ago, it was to get abducted in the middle of a clash between two of Gotham's warring mob elements.
Actually, no. Not “abducted.” Richards correctly takes exception to my wording.
“It was a bit more of a feminist move,” she protests. “She wasn't just a little pawn moving around. She went, 'I'm gonna go fight for my man' and she went and fought for him.”
And Richards also insists she hasn't been claustrophobic spending most of her time in that apartment set this season.
“It's a really nice apartment and she spent a lot of money on that apartment and we should see it as much as possible,” she laughs.
I'll take Richards' word for it, because the Welsh actress — Old TV spots with Richards speaking Welsh are rather impressive — knows a good deal more about Barbara than what we've seen on “Gotham” so far. She knows how Barbara spends her days — An art gallery, in case you've forgotten — and the source of her family wealth and more. And she isn't sharing.
“I'm good at keeping secrets,” she smiles. “My friends always tell me their secrets, because I keep them well.”
All she'll say is that we have more to learn about Barbara.
Richards promises, “It's just a fantastic character to play, because she is kidding herself about who she is, so there are so many more layers and kinda stories to come from Barbara that I just feel like it's kinda a bit of snowball, the faster she goes the more of her past is lumped on top of her, so it's a really fun thing for me.”
And how about all of the online speculation — largely based on different arcs within the “Batman” comic book run — about what's in store for Barbara? Well, she isn't about to spill any beans there.
“I can't, because I have no idea,” she swears. “I don't know what she's gonna become.”
She adds, “I would love all of the things to happen to her that people want to have happen to her, but I'm the same as everyone else. I'm in the dark like Barbara.”
That last bit is a reference to where we left Barbara in last week's episode, first sitting in the dark with a gun and later ignoring James Gordon's calls.
We discussed what this turn of events means for Barbara and “Gotham” creator Bruno Heller's interest in shaping complicated female characters.
And more!
Check out the full interview above…
And a new episode of “Gotham” airs on Monday at 8 p.m. on FOX.