Here is another new interview of Sean Pertwee (Alfred Pennyworth) with British website Digital Spy, promoting the return of “Gotham” in the UK, and where he talks about David Mazouz (Bruce Wayne):

“Then there’s the relationship between Bruce and Alfred, which is of course a rocky one. He’s had no experience with children. He’s lived a very closeted militaristic-style life and all of a sudden he’s in charge of one of the richest young men in the world, so it’s a bumpy ride!

“I’m lucky enough to work with David Mazouz, who’s just phenomenal. We’re sort of hermetically sealed for a lot of our stuff in the Manor – and we shoot chronologically so he’s growing in front of my eyes, and the audience’s eyes, and their relationship is constantly undergoing this change.

“It’s a fascinating journey because it’s a difficult one. I was fully aware that people were horrified at the way that Alfred treated young Master Bruce in the beginning but you’ve only ever seen the later versions of Alfred. He has to get there… so how do we get there? This is our point, so you have to make it as real as possible and give him a rock-solid background, which you will start to see more of – and I hope you like!”

How closely does your real-life relationship with David reflect Alfred’s dynamic with Bruce?
“We get on extremely well, we get on terribly well, I’m very close to him. I have a son virtually the same age – in fact, they play together, knock about together and play soccer… (pause) Soccer? I meant ‘football’ – god-dammit, I’ve been out here too long!

“But anyway – I’m lucky to work with David because he has a phenomenal sense of focus, which he brings to the screen, and I’ve learnt so much from him – and we’ve become extremely close and we trust each other implicitly.”

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Episode 17 is a big one for Alfred, with his old pal Reggie (David O’Hara) dropping by – David himself is an old friend of yours, so how was that experience?
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“I was extremely lucky for David to come on board, because he’s a phenomenally talented actor and of course then the interaction with Bruce as well… he got on terribly well with David.”

Gotham has been renewed for a second season – what are you most looking forward to going forward?
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“I’m sure you’ve heard all these clichés a million times from actors, but it’s absolutely true – we’re a really tight company and we go to the table-reads in our lunch break even if we’re not working because we want to read the script together.

“There’s no prima donnas – it’s an absolute joy and we’re shooting in one of the greatest cities in the world [New York City] – and I love it!”

Sean Pertwee, a.k.a. Alfred Pennyworth in “Gotham”, gave an interview to The Observer where he talks among other things about his relationship with David Mazouz:

Funnily enough, most of the rare times Mr. Pertwee referred to the character as “I” instead of “he” came when he described the bond developing between David Mazouz – who plays a young Bruce Wayne – and himself. On the show, Mssrs. Mazouz and Pertwee portray a sort of inverted father and son dynamic, built on firm discipline and fierce protectiveness. The relationship has grown off camera, too.

“We’re shooting chronologically, so we are becoming more accustomed to each other in real time,” Mr. Pertwee said. “[David] has this flame in his eyes, this darkness, that he can just turn on, which I find terrifying but brilliant.”

But off-screen, Mr. Mazouz is still a 13-year-old boy, an age where finding common ground with your 50-year-old colleague can be a rough process. Luckily, common ground came in the form of Mr. Pertwee’s son named, what else, Alfred. Mr. Pertwee’s family live full time in England while he shoots “Gotham”, but frequently visit.

It wasn’t until he saw Mr. Mazouz playing with his son that he realized the full extent of the ties between them.

“I was reminded that Bruce is still a young boy in the series,” he said. “And it’s all very well to show Alfred giving him the stiff upper lip, but he – Bruce — also needs to laugh.”