( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) HEY, EVERYBODY!
WELCOME BACK!
MY NEXT GUEST IS AN ACTOR YOU KNOW FROM "THE O.C.,"
"SOUTHLAND," AND NOW, "GOTHAM."
>> NOT WHO I WAS EXPECTING TO SEE HERE.
>> LIKEWISE.
IS BRUCE WITH YOU?
NO.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?
ELL, NOT TOO BAD DOWN HERE, REALLY.
I LOVE THIS SPACE, NEXT TO KNOTTING IF YOU MOVE AROUND AND
YOU'RE PATIENT.
>> YOU LIVE HERE?
NEARBY.
IT'S A LONG STORY.
>> STEPHEN: PLEASE WELCOME BEN MCKENZIE!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) MR. MCKENZIE, THANKS FOR BEING
HERE!
>> OH, MY PLEASURE.
THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
YOU'RE IN GOTHAM.
YOU'RE PLAYING JIM GORDON, BUT THIS BUBBAFOR PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T
THE SHOW, THIS IS ORPHAN BRUCE.
YOU'RE NOT THE COMMISSIONER YET.
>> NO.
NOT SELLING IT WELL.
>> Stephen: ALL THIS GREAT BACK STORY, YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE
THE MUSTACHE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
>> NO, I DON'T.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE TWO KIDS.
TWO YOUNG KIDS.
>> Stephen: HOW DOES IT FEEL KNOWING, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE
PLAYING THIS COOL PART, YOUR KIDS WILL NEVER THINK YOU'RE AS
COOL AS BATMAN?
>> YEAH, WELL, THEY'RE THE PERFECT AGE TO BE BRAINWASHED.
>> Stephen: WHAT ARE THE AGES THERE?
>> 4 AND 2.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE TO START EARLY.
>> EXACTLY.
MY WORD IS GOD.
SO I EXPLAIN TO THEM THE TRUTH, WHICH IS THAT, WITHOUT JIM
GORDON, THERE WOULD BE NO BATMAN, AND THAT, IF YOU REALLY
THINK ABOUT IT -- AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO REALLY THINK
ABOUT IT -- >> Stephen: YES.
-- YOU COULD ALMOST ARGUE GORDON WAS THE FIRST BATMAN.
HE'S THE FIRST LAW MAN IN GOTHAM CITY AND HE'S KEEPING IT
TOGETHER.
>> Stephen: ANY CHANCE YOUR KIDS ARE WATCHING RIGHT NOW?
>> GOD, I HOPE NOT.
THEY'RE UP WAY TOO LATE.
>> Stephen: IN CASE THEY ARE, YOUR FATHER IS EXACTLY RIGHT IN
EVERYTHING HE SAYS.
( LAUGHTER ) NOW, OBVIOUSLY, JIM GORDON IS ON
THE GOTHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT.
>> HE IS.
>> Stephen: AND YOU SHOOT HERE IN NEW YORK CITY.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: IS THERE ANY CAMARADERIE YOU GET FROM
NEW YORK'S FINEST?
DOES THE NYPD COME UP AND GIVE YOU TIPS?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I ALSO DO ANOTHER SHOW CALLED SOUTHLAND, IT WAS A COP SHOW IN
L.A.
( APPLAUSE ) I WAS ABSOLUTELY FISHING FOR
THAT.
DO I COME UP OCCASIONALLY IN THE CITY, EVERY BOROUGH.
BUT ONLY USUALLY WHEN I'M AT CRAFT SERVICE WITH SOME SORT OF
HIGHLY FEMININE -- SOME SORT OF LIKE A DANISH OR SOME SORT OF,
LIKE, A STRAWBERRY DANISH -- FEMININE IS THE WRONG WORD --
NONMASCULINE.
>> Stephen: AM I EMASCULATING MYSELF IF I HAVE A DANISH?
>> THEY COME UP TO YOU WITH RESPECT, WHEN YOU'RE
COMMISSIONER GORDON AND YOU HAVE A FRUIT WRAP AND --
>> Stephen: GORDON WOULD BE EATING MAN'S MEAL, ROUGH!
>> INDEED!
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: YOU'RE FROM
AUSTIN, TEXAS, PUT NO ACCENT AT ALL.
>> YEAH, AUSTIN, YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ACCENT?
>> WELL, I HAD TO DROP IT.
I MEAN, HONESTLY, I CAME OUT TO L.A. -- THIS IS SORT OF THE
SECOND PRESIDENT BUSH -- AND PEOPLE JUST LOOKED AT ME LIKE
WHO'S THIS HICK KID.
DID YOU HAVE THIS EXPERIENCE?
>> Stephen: I HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A SOUTHERN ACCENT WHEN I
FIRST WENT OFF TO CHICAGO, YEAH.
>> SO I FELT EVERYONE WAS LOOKING AT ME LIKE I WAS
MISUNDERESTIMATED OR SOMETHING LIKE I WAS TALKING LIKE I WAS
REALLY STRUGGLING TO TALK.
>> Stephen: YOU PUT YOUR ACCENT IN A BLIND TRUST?
THIS WHOLE ACTING CAREER -- >> PEOPLE THINK YOU'RE LESS
INTELLIGENT IF YOU SPEAK WITH A SOUTHERN ACCENT.
>> Stephen: ON TV SOUTHERN ACCENT MEANT NOT SMART AND I
WANTED TO SEEM SMART.
>> WHICH IS NOT ENTIRELY TRUE.
>> Stephen: IT'S ENTIRELY NOT TRUE.
>> EXACTLY!
EXACTLY WHAT I SAID!
>> Stephen: DO YOU GET BACK HOME MUCH?
>> I WENT BACK OVER THE HOLIDAYS.
>> Stephen: MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT YOUR STATE ALSO HAS SOME
THEY CALL BARBECUE.
>> OH, MY GOD -- >> Stephen: AND IT'S A GIVEN
SOUTH CAROLINA HAS THE BEST BARBECUE.
>> OH, WRONG STATEMENT.
>> Stephen: DO YOU DO BEEF OR PORK?
>> WE DO BEEF.
WE DO BOTH.
>> Stephen: WE COULD DO BEEF IF WE WANTED.
>> NO, I MEAN, WE COULD DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO.
>> Stephen: SO WHAT KIND OF BARBECUE ARE WE TALKING ABOUT
HERE BECAUSE SOUTH CAROLINA IS KNOWN FOR THE SPECIAL BARBECUE
THAT HAS A MUSTARD SAUCE.
>> OURS IS A DRY RUB, MORE BRISKET TENDS TO BE A SPECIALTY,
AND RIBS AS WELL, RED SAUCE ON THE SIDE, SPICEY.
IT'S DELICIOUS.
YOU SHOULD TRY SOME.
>> Stephen: WE DO A MUSTARD SAUCE.
>> THAT IS QUITE UNIQUE.
>> Stephen: CHANGE YOUR LIFE, YEAH.
>> I'LL HAVE TO TRY THAT.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: THE IMPORTANT
THING TO KEEP IN MIND IS PEOPLE FROM THE SOUTH DON'T TAKE THEIR
BARBECUE SERIOUSLY.
IT'S NOT IMPORTANT TO US AT ALL.
>> COLLEGE FOOTBALL SORT OF.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: YES.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE, ONE CHOIR BOY TO ANOTHER.
"GOTHAM" WILL RETURN MARCH 1 ON FOX.
BEN MCKENZIE, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY THIRTY SECONDS TO
MARS.
STICK AROUND!