NEW YORK (AP) – Milo Ventimiglia is the new big bad villain on Fox’s “Gotham,” beginning an arc Monday (at 8 pm. EDT) that leads up to the season finale.
Ventimiglia plays the Ogre, whose name may be familiar to DC Comics fanatics, but his version is different from the one already in the DC universe.
“Gotham” focuses on James Gordon (played by Ben McKenzie) as a detective, before he becomes commissioner and before Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. In this prequel, Gotham City is still corrupt and has plenty of bad guys. That’s where Ventimiglia’s Ogre comes in. He’s an untouchable mad man who the Gotham City police department won’t go near, because every time someone does, the ogre responds by killing someone that person loves.
Ventimiglia said in a recent phone interview that he was drawn to the role because, for one, Bruno Heller, the creator of “Gotham,” makes “great male characters.”
“They’re strong, they have a purpose and a direction,” said Ventimiglia. “I identify with what I am. I’m a man and want to play a great, male character. Thank god for guys like Heller or (TV show producer) Kurt Sutter who give us these great characters for actors to play with.”