‘The Batman’ Star Reflects on Backlash to His Jim Gordon [Exclusive]

Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright made a bit of DC history in 2022 when he became the first Black actor to take up the role of Batman’s longtime ally, Commissioner Jim Gordon, on the big screen in Matt Reeves‘s The Batman. He had a big role to play in the hunt for Paul Dano‘s murderous Riddler, too, helping the world’s greatest detective follow the trail to Edward Nashton before the villain’s grand scheme could unfold. Unfortunately, like far too many actors stepping into previously white roles, he and the film were subject to racist backlash before viewers even had a chance to see the project. That didn’t slow down the film at the box office, but the American Fiction star remains frustrated by the response and how it has only seemed to worsen in the years since. In a wide-ranging profile with Therese Lacson, he opened up about his experience, how things have changed as he gears up for The Batman Part II, and why his Gordon fits in the Caped Crusader’s world.

Wright undoubtedly had big shoes to fill coming into The Batman. Not only was he breaking some ground, but he also followed in the footsteps of two massive actors between Gary Oldman in The Dark Knight trilogy and J.K. Simmons in Zack Snyder‘s Justice League. Reeves’s more grounded detective noir spin was also designed to pair him with Robert Pattinson‘s Batman more often. Still, he brought an impressive resume of his own to the table between the Hunger Games movies, Casino Royale, his breakout role in Basquiat, and an Emmy-winning turn in Angels in America. In the end, that fresh, darker approach was part of why critics enjoyed the film and Wright’s work within it.

What disappointed the actor most about the criticism of his casting, though, was that it was so focused on keeping Batman’s characters as they were since 1939. Reeves’s film took inspiration from 1970s cinema, and Wright thought the idea that his character couldn’t change with the times was absurd when so much else about the hero’s world had so obviously changed.

“The Gordon thing, that’s another level. I guess increasingly now, I’m looking forward to getting back to it, but I really find it fascinating the ways in which there’s such a conversation, and I think even more of a conversation now, about Black characters in these roles. It’s just so f—ing racist and stupid. It’s just so blind in a way that I find revealing to not recognize that the evolution of these films reflects the evolution of society, that somehow it’s defiling this franchise not to keep it grounded in the cultural reality of 1939 when the comic books were first published. It’s just the dumbest thing. It’s absent all logic.”

Jeffrey Wright Keeps Gordon’s Key Principles Alive for the 20th Century in ‘The Batman’

One thing Wright’s Gordon didn’t change was the defining personality traits of the police lieutenant turned commissioner. All that really changed was the world, which is based more around the diverse nature of Gotham’s inspiration, New York City, in the 1970s and in the present. In that sense, Wright feels like his modernized Gordon fits right into Reeves’s world and how he interprets Batman.

“What I love about our Batman is how gritty and granular and accessible it is. Ours is a Gotham that’s born out of ’70s noir in terms of its cinematic aesthetic, ’70s noir New York. Obviously, New York City is the template for Gotham, and if you look around New York City in the ’70s, or if you look around New York City, of course, today, it’s a multicultural place. So, any Gotham within a contemporary film in the Batman series that’s going to be authentic has to be reflective of a modern American metropolis. That’s just what it is. You only have to ride the subway in New York City to understand what that looks like. It doesn’t look like 1939 anymore. So, I wanted to make sure that my Gordon was grounded in the interior characteristics of Gordon that we’ve found throughout the comics, but that he was Gordon for the 21st century at the same time.”

Beyond a more diverse cast simply making sense, a big part of Wright’s dismay with racist attacks against such casting also comes from a personal place. He grew up loving Batman just the same and felt a connection to the stories of Bruce Wayne fighting crime in Gotham. Specifically, he appreciated how the original vision for the caped vigilante left room for new voices to change how the world and its characters looked to match their visions as the years went on. Nowadays, artists have stretched Batman to the limits of their imagination, making him a ninja, recreating him as an Aztec warrior, and much more. He’s just a part of one vision for Batman, preparing to further ingrain himself in this little slice of the DC mythos when The Batman Part II arrives in 2027, and he just wishes people would respect his place in it, even if they prefer other stories involving The Dark Knight.

“The thing is, as well, I feel that I own these stories as much as anyone. Perhaps now, because I’m a part of them, I have the most skin in the game. Growing up, these were my stories as much as any kid’s. I respect every kid’s connection to these stories, and I expect mine to be respected as well. Bob Kane and Bill Finger are two Jewish guys up in the Bronx, imagining heroes and villains in a city that looked like the city around them at the time, but I think what they imagined was open-ended. I think that the success and the longevity of these stories and characters are owing to the openness of their imaginations and what they created.”

Reeves’s Gotham will return to theaters with The Batman Part II on October 10, 2027. Filming is slated to begin next spring, but buzz is already building around the script, with Wright himself giving a thumbs up to the director’s plans. Stay tuned here at Collider for more as it draws ever closer.