Do you feel like you’ve changed as an actor on this hit show, and do you think you’ve grown since appearing on the 2009 show the forgotten?
Yes, it’s day and night. Not just because on this show I wore hairpieces and did makeup to make it look like eyebrows. Now I’m bald and feel good about myself, but I think it also taught me to really trust my instincts and impulses. I don’t think I ever really trusted myself to be really seen, when now I’m happy to expand in different directions.
You are very open about your experience with alopecia and how it affected your career. In the forgotten, you wore hairpieces. In Gotham, you play Victor Zsasz, who was actually bald in the source material. In barry, the appearance of the character is not relevant at all. What do you take away from it?
I can enjoy both things. From Gotham, Victor Zsasz is a bald villain, [and] I love lending my talents to bring a character like that to life. That being said, I also like to work on something where the question is never asked, “Where are this guy’s eyebrows or why bald?” He’s just who he is.
Are you worried about being branded as murderers based on your roles as Victor Zsasz and NoHo Hank?
Well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t really like it. That being said, I can do so much more. I guess it’s weird to say that playing some kind of murderous psychopath is a touchstone for me, but I’m glad to venture away from that. I can always come back to it, that’s for sure.
What kind of characters do you hope to play next now that your career is in full swing?
It’s not necessarily the types of roles but the types of worlds I want to exist in. barry is obviously a tough act to follow when it comes to dark comedy. So in this genre, I will be very judicious about what I choose to do. But I like the idea of being in very large worlds, and I think it would be very cool to participate in it then. Whatever form it takes.
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