In Season Three of Batwoman, Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) must lead the Bat Team in stopping the next wave of villains created by the weapons lost in the Gotham River during the finale of Season Two.

Not only that but Ryan discovers some dark secrets from her past, including a potential new family which includes the millionaire mother and CEO of Jeturian industries, Jada Jet (Robin Givens) and brother Marquis Jet (Nick Creegan). However, a traditional family they are not! Not only do we discover that Jada spent $2m to hide Ryan’s birth but a Joker attack when he was young has left Marquis with psychopathic tendencies. Now, after years in the shadow of his powerful mother, and discovering he had a sister all along, Marquis is pushed too far and soon he starts finding the unimaginable funny…

We spoke to Batwoman’s Joker himself, Nick Creegan, about being a Batman fan and the good work Batwoman is doing to shine a light on mental health…

Warning: There are spoilers until episode seven of Batwoman.

How did you first get involved with Batwoman?

For Batwoman particularly, I just got a self-tape audition sent to me. It was as Marquis Jet and I kind of just did it routinely. I wasn’t looking at it as anything different than what it was. We get lots of auditions all the time. They don’t necessarily mean we’re gonna get the job, but I was excited about it. So when I did audition, I thought Marquis Jet was a little crazy in the sense of his demeanour, but I never imagined that he would be turning into their version of the Joker!

Was it daunting taking on such an iconic role?

Initially I was fearful. I was shocked and then that shock turned into anxiety because I was like ‘wait, I have to step into the shoes of people like Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix’. At first I was a little nervous and then I got really excited because I turned on The Dark Knight later that night and I’m saying to myself, ‘wow, I have the opportunity to cement myself in this small knit community of actors who have portrayed this role in their own way before’. So I was very, very excited.

Did you look at other iterations of the Joker before preparing for the role?

I definitely looked at other iterations! Some of my favourite films were Joker movies like The Dark Knight and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, two of my actual favourite movies and performances. So I watched them but I also realised that this was going to be very original and somewhat of a first of its kind. So I tried to make sure that while I studied how they did it, I wanted to make it much my own and put my own spin on it. So everything that I’ve seen of myself on screen does remind me that I did put my stamp on it myself.

What did you want to do with your version of the Joker?

I wanted to make sure that he was the type of character where people love to hate him. Very charismatic, with some swagger and style in the way that he carries himself. But also that maniacal nature so even when people might say ‘oh, this guy’s kind of cool’, he does something to say ‘okay, something’s really off with him!’ It’s hard to watch him but I don’t want to stop watching him.

I wanted to have a tug of war between the audience when it comes to him. I didn’t want him to just be unlikable. I wanted him to be likeable, in a sense.

So that was part of it. The other part was I wanted people to have empathy for him. I wanted to make sure people knew that there’s a method to this madness. It’s not like he just decided one day he wants to be clinically insane. He got buzzed with the Joker’s Joy Buzzer and there was a reason for that. Then his mother wasn’t there a lot of the time because of her job and he lacked a lot of the natural love that many kids get. So I wanted people to feel empathy when they watched him and to know that mental health is something that they need to pay attention to.

How would you describe Marquis’ relationship with his mother?

She clearly loves her son. But at the same time, she’s doing things that are just not conducive to a loving relationship with her son. I think she coddled him for a long time and she was not there very much. She cared more about her public image and her power and running Jeturian industries. So while she wasn’t there to do normal things, like maybe have an actual dinner or help him with his homework, she does these grand gestures of giving him a VP role. Doing all of these things to try to make up for the fact that she just wasn’t there, per se.

I think people who watch this, unfortunately, can also relate to that. Hopefully this helps change people’s perspective on how they should be treating their children. Or children in that position hopefully they can say ‘maybe I should have a conversation with my family as opposed to acting out the way Marquis does’, because that’s clearly not the way to go about things! So I think his relationship with his mother, there’s love on both sides, but they have such a toxic relationship that it makes you wonder if they’ll ever actually reconcile…

And what about his relationship with Ryan?

The beautiful thing with Ryan and Marquis is that they are siblings. I think that was the only thing that the Joker and Batman didn’t have. Because they act as if they’re like a married couple that hates each other but loves each other or they are siblings, so I think it’s synonymous with what Ryan and Marquis are dealing with.

I don’t think Marquis would have a reason to act out if he wasn’t yearning for his sister’s love deep down inside and I think Ryan feels the same exact way. At the end of the day, I think it’s all about trying to fill this void that has been there on both of their parts for all these years.

Marquis has a distinct look as he turns into Joker, what do you think of his style?

Jared Leto’s version of the Joker comes to mind in terms of his style, because he was the only Joker that didn’t have one plain suit the whole time. Whether it be orange, or burgundy, whatever it might be. So I looked at his and I was like, well, he’s wearing all of these cool, high fashion streetwear items. I wonder if we could add some of that to this Joker, since he’s going to be so different and he’s not even going to be wearing the face paint.

So I worked with the costume department on getting a fit together. I told them we should add in certain things that I would actually wear in regular life because it would just make me that much more in the character. So he’s wearing Doc Martens in certain episodes, leather jackets… I think the costume department was incredible in terms of their collaborative process with me. They really asked me what I would like him to wear and it was very much of a collaborative effort. I’m very happy with what we came up with.

So… how did you develop that laugh?

Well, to be completely honest, the laugh that you hear is really much of my own laugh! I’ve had this wild laugh ever since I was a kid. The type of laugh where if you’re in the movie theatres, you actually really laugh and people look at you and start laughing at you and not the movie. So that’s always been me.

I was thinking about the laugh. Obviously, this has to be iconic. This has to be much of his DNA. I want people to think of me when they hear this laugh. I said ‘well, let me just try my own laugh’. And I did and they loved it! They didn’t know that it was my actual laugh, but I just went with that and added a little bit more oomph to it. I knew it’d come in handy one day!

What’s it like being part of DC?

It’s awesome. It’s like a childhood dream come true. When you’re a kid, and you’re watching the Batman Animated Series like me and you grow up on superheroes and these villains, of course you fantasise about being in this world, and wonder what it’s like to live in Gotham City. So being able to do that… the inner child in me is the first person who’s very excited knowing that these dreams are being realised!

The second part of it is I’m really excited to know that kids and adults are able to one day dress up as Marquis Jet and this version of the Joker for Halloween or Comic Con. To know that I was able to help them have fun and be part of their cosplay journey or their fandom journey, is really meaningful to me. So it means a lot to be a part of this world because there are great shows on TV. Like I love Succession, I love others things like that, but they don’t have this type of deep-rooted DNA of fandom that’s been going for generations like DC or Marvel does. It’s been an honour to be a part of this world.

Batwoman has always delved into important subjects like race and mental health, what do you think it is about this show that makes it a good platform to discuss such things?

I think the cool thing with what DC has done in the TV realm, and even in the movie realm, is they disguise topics in a digestible way that fans and viewers can watch and be excited about but also be introspective.

I love the fact that, especially in Batwoman, issues of race and things of that nature were in Season Two, and then this season, there are overarching conversations about LGBTQ rights and relationships, love and things of that nature, and with my character, mental health being the main focus. So I think DC has done an amazing job at that. It’s just cool to know that you work for a place that wants these topics to be at the forefront.

What do you want for audiences to take away from Batwoman?

We really do this for them. We put our voices up and really go full throttle so that the fans can get the best viewing experience possible. So we really appreciate people who actually enjoy the series and want to watch it because if they didn’t watch it, then there’ll be no point in doing any of this. So I just want them to know that it’s really for them and it’s really appreciated when they get to enjoy our art.

Batwoman is showing now on The CW for those in the US and on E4 in the UK. Catch up with Batwoman on All4.

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But Kate Kane’s disappearance hits hardest at home where Jacob, Sophie (Meagan Tandy), Luke (Camrus Johnson), Mary (Nicole Kang) and even psychopath Alice (Rachel Skarsten) each struggle with the devastating news in their own way. Meanwhile, the False Face Society tightens its grip on Gotham, distributing a perilous new drug known as Snakebite, “Bruce Wayne” (guest star Warren Christie) finds his way home to wreak havoc, Safiyah (guest star Shivaani Ghai) surfaces with plans for revenge, and a new set of villains descends on the city…

However, someone else is destined to take on the role (both on-screen and off) of Batwoman: Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie). Based on the characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, Ryan is a smart, sassy lesbian with a difficult past. When she finds Kate’s Batsuit, she sees it as her chance to finally be powerful and no longer a victim as she survives the tough streets of Gotham.

As chaos and uncertainty proliferate, Ryan realises how much the symbol on the suit means to Gotham, launching her on a personal journey that takes her from fledgling substitute to confident caped crusader, from living in her van with her plant to chasing villains in the Batmobile. Ryan Wilder becomes a very different Batwoman than Kate Kane – her own Batwoman – but with the same understanding of what it means to be a hero.

We spoke to Javicia Leslie about taking on the role of Ryan, the importance of the role during the Black Lives Matter movement and finding her very own Catwoman…

Ryan is a character that’s been made for the show – how was it taking on a character that hasn’t been established in the comic books?

It was a lot of fun because whatever decisions we make is now the history of Ryan and it feels a little bit more creative because we’re the ones creating the story as we go. I think that the pressure of [not] having to emulate someone else helps a lot. To be able to just freely go into this world, freely go into this life of Ryan makes it very fearless. It makes me feel very supported because I know that the work that we did and the work that we do is something that was very much in-house.

We’ve seen from your Instagram that you’ve been watching some old Batman movies, were always a fan of Batman and superheroes? Which of the Batman films or iterations are your favourite?

I’ve always been a fan of Batman. That was the first superhero movie I’d ever seen. It was so epic to me. I think technically Michael Keaton was the first [iteration of Batman] that I saw. I don’t know if I can pick my favourite Batman, but I can definitely tell you Tim Burton’s version of Batman in general has always been my favourite because it’s very dark, it’s very melodramatic and I think that when you look at a superhero show, you want to get lost in it. You don’t want to feel like this is reality. I feel like his was so far from reality and it made it fun for me. So if I had to pick (which I don’t feel like I should have to because all of them are amazing!) but Val Kilmer I think might be my favourite so far. But characters like Heath Ledger’s Joker brings me to Christian Bale’s Batman and then characters like the Penguin take me back to Michael Keaton’s Batman…

Who in the Batman universe would you like to see Ryan go against?

Let’s bring em all [haha]! Let’s bring Joker, Penguin… let’s bring all of them! I love the energy Batman and Catwoman had. I would love to have that super villain/love interest where you know this person is really bad for you but you can’t help but want [them]. So I would love Batwoman to find her own version of the Catwoman.

How have both you and Ryan tackled that responsibility of becoming a superhero?

I feel like that’s something I really connect with when it comes to Ryan – this journey that we both have to go on to become a superhero. I didn’t know how to be a superhero. I remember my first day on set, I was just like, how does a superhero fold their hands? No one else on the show has been a superhero yet so I had to figure it out on my own. I think it makes the journey very authentic because along with Ryan figuring out how to become Batwoman, I’m figuring out how to become Batwoman. I’m not ashamed about that. I feel like that’s what makes it so much fun, and that’s what makes it an enjoyable experience. Every single thing that I do on set is my first time doing it. I’ve been practicing Muay Thai before I started filming this, but I’ve never done it for the camera, and so as Ryan is learning to do everything that she does, so am I. It just makes for a very fun experience.

Kate Kane had a lot of history with the central characters in Batwoman – how do they react to Ryan taking on the role of Batwoman?

I think it’s hard for everyone when Ryan shows up in the Bat suit. She shows up at a time when they’re losing their minds because [they’re] figuring out where Kate is. Then this random chick just shows up… Can you imagine?! So everyone is so confused and I feel like everyone has a right to be confused. I would be confused! [I’m] part of that team [and I’m] missing our hero and then all of a sudden this random chick just shows up in a suit! You really watch them go on this journey because at the end of the day, if we don’t have a superhero then the whole city just turns to ashes.

I think that the journey of Ryan and the rest of the characters goes from ‘okay fine’ to ‘let’s do this!’. That transition doesn’t happen overnight – she has to earn it, they have to earn her trust, she has to earn their trust. We all have to work to become the team and it doesn’t happen overnight at all.

You have a martial arts background, have you always wanted to utilise those skills in an acting project?

Yes, I’ve always wanted to do action. Action is my passion when it comes to acting and this is also a genre that’s very underrepresented in the black community and the queer community. So to be able to do an action role is super fun. I always say I want to be the first black Laura Croft because I played Tomb Raider when I was a kid and then I loved the movie but to see us in that world is rare, especially at that time, and now it’s happening more often but seeing a black female action star is what I’m super passionate about.

What was it like taking on the stunts for Batwoman?

We have the most amazing stunt team. They’re so amazing, they make sure we’re protected. We practice all of our choreography before we even go on set. I come from a martial arts background, so maybe it’s a little easier but I feel for any person, even if you were coming in and never threw a punch before, our stunt team does this amazing job creating choreography and we feel very safe and protected. It’s just about making sure that we take our time. It’s about making sure that we rehearse enough. It just makes it so much more fun to know that we’ve done the work before we even show up on set, so now with the cameras rolling we’re just really reenacting what we’ve already practiced.

Can you tell us more about Ryan’s Bat suit?

I [start the series in] Kate Kane’s suit and then I move into Ryan suit. [Kate’s suit] represents so much – she saved so many people last season and so immediately when I put that on, I felt that responsibility. But it didn’t dawn on me that I also felt like I wasn’t me. It felt like ‘okay, I have to make sure that the city sees me as Kate Kane’ and then a transition happens and Ryan crates the suit.

The first time I put on Ryan’s suit, I felt like ‘okay, this is our Batwoman, this is Ryan’. I felt more powerful because I knew that this hadn’t been done before. It’s scary to step on screen with a big afro. It’s funny because as a black [woman], there is a natural hair journey that we all go through where when you straighten your hair, you kind of fit in more but the moment we start wearing our hair naturally we stand out. It’s a very scary thing at first and so even in the suit with my big afro I was scared at first that it might take up too much space. In society, you don’t want to take up too much space, you don’t want people to have to walk around or notice when you walk into a room just because you look different.

So I think that originally I was a little scared but then there’s this power. I grew up watching Foxy Brown – there is power when you have that afro. 

I feel like that’s what Ryan had to find, she had to find that journey, like ‘look these are my roots, this is where I come from, I’m going to save people being exactly who I am’. To be able to wear that suit and represent that was super important and very epic for me, and I know there are going to be so many people that feel that same feeling.

You are the first black woman to portray Batwoman in any media but the timing of your casting also felt very powerful as it was right in the middle of the huge Black Lives Matter protest last summer. How did it feel putting on the suit in that context?

The first time I put this suit on, it felt an immense amount of responsibility because the moment you put it on, the moment you see that Bat symbol across your chest, you know that no matter who you are, no matter where you’re from, a person sees that as a superhero. It represents a superhero. It represents good, it represents what’s right, it represents selflessness. So I remember the first day I put it on, I was just like ‘oh wow, okay, this is real’. 

I remember the first time I went into the Bat cave, I looked around and I got emotional because I knew no person of colour had done this yet, and had been able to wear that suit in the Bat cave. That’s epic. It just represents so many people and it’s so needed right now. I’m so happy that we had something light to grab onto, even for a second, among a lot of darkness. 

I wake up black and I go to sleep black – this isn’t something I just put on for the day. I’m used to being black and I just look forward to our entertainment being used to seeing this type of representation. I’m so honoured that I’m a part of this journey.

Your predecessor on Batwoman, Ruby Rose, as well as several other actors who are involved in these huge franchises have sadly been a victim of online abuse. Did you have any reservations about taking on this role for that reason and what your experience has been?

I didn’t have any reservations for that reason. I kind of felt like this is a part of my journey and I’m very supported by my family, I’m very supported by God and I felt like that was really all I needed when going into this role. I think for me, I never really wanted to focus on that. It’s not to say it’s not happening, it’s just to say that there is a bigger picture and the bigger goal is to be able to represent Ryan, so that when people are watching the show they can connect to a character that they may feel represents their lives. That was always the most important thing to me. Comments and stuff like that come with the territory as any role honestly, so it’s just about making sure that I’m always supported in my work and always supported by the people who love me.

What were the emotions and celebrations like when you found out you got such a life changing role?

I felt emotional because really, at the time when we first found out I had been waiting, I think, three days from my last test, but even before that I had auditioned weeks before, so it had been a long process, at least in my mind. I was nervous, I needed to find out. I remember just barely wanting to eat, barely being able to sleep because I knew that this was a life changing role for me. So it wasn’t about the answer being yes, it was really just finding out. So when I did find out, I actually didn’t believe that they chose me. I was in the middle of praying and meditating because I was very stressed and I received a call from my manager and oh my goodness… There’s always this part of me that when I find out I’ve booked something I’m like, ‘are you sure? Can you call him back and make sure?’ [I was] definitely overwhelmed with happiness, but I also felt very honoured when I realised what this role represented for us.

Batwoman Season Two is currently showing on E4.

The post Batwoman Season Two: There’s a new Bat in town! appeared first on Sci-Fi Tips.