Jessica Miglio/FOX"Every turn, every kill, every moment for this guy, there's a reason why he's doing it all," the "Heroes" alum tells THR.
Milo Ventimiglia is no stranger to the superhero world, with a résumé that includes NBC's Heroes and voice roles for Marvel animated series including X-Men Anime and Ultimate Spider-Man. But his character on Fox's Gotham is far from anyone's idea of a hero.
"They took a name from the comic, and they created their own character," the Mob City alum told The Hollywood Reporter about the Ogre, who makes his debut Monday. "The character they gave Jim Gordon to fight, right up until the very end, is a pretty bad guy."
The veteran actor — who next appears in ABC's summer scripted mystery The Whispers — is having a field day on Gotham, where he's stretching his acting wings with his role as the big bad. "[It's fun to have] the opportunity to step outside of yourself and create a character that, in real life, we just can't do," he said. "I mean, we can, but we'll go to jail."
"The idea of who this guy is, and why he is, is so compelling that every turn, every kill, every moment for this guy, there's a reason why he's doing it all," said Ventimiglia, who is acting opposite longtime friend Ben McKenzie (Jim Gordon). "It may not be your reason, or my personal reason, but there is a reason."
Ventimiglia, who recurs for the remainder of the DC Comics adaptation's freshman season, knew he was signing on to portray a serial killer looking for love and is looking forward to learning more about the mysterious character who goes by the name of Jason Lennon.
"I discovered — as everyone else will discover — his motives, and how he was created," he said of the role that serves as a reunion for the Gilmore Girls alum with executive producer John Stephens.
The role also marks an extension of Ventimiglia's own personal interests — the fanboy says he was "raised on comics" and watched Fox's Gotham from the start to support pals McKenzie and co-star Donal Logue.
"Those were the stories I was following as a kid, the stories that expanded my creative mind and got me excited about being a good guy in life and standing up for others that were oppressed or hurt, or looked down on for whatever reason," he said. "This is the world that raised me."
While the ultimate fate of the Ogre will remain a mystery for a few weeks — the actor refused to even reveal if he would be sharing scenes with other villains featured on the Fox hit, though he did say that the character is "on his own path" — Ventimiglia described his time on Gotham as "a perfect storm."
Gotham airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on Fox.
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