Jack Bannon on how Batman’s future butler grows from boy to man in ‘Pennyworth’s’ latest season
For its 10-episode sophomore season, the DC Universe prequel “Pennyworth,” about the character-forming events in the life of young Alfred Pennyworth (the dashing Jack Bannon) before he becomes Batman’s loyal butler and most trusted confidant, puts its best foot forward to live up to its smashing debut season.
After all, what does the show do for an encore to match the impact and intensity of the scenes that played out in the final sequences of the Season 1 finale? To refresh your memory, dear readers, the said episode sees Alfred torn between family and love of country.
As a result, the tough but conscientious Alfred is forced to take the life of his own father (Ian Puleston-Davies) to stop him from assassinating the Queen (Jessica Ellerby) and the Prime Minister (Richard Clothier) of the United Kingdom!
When we interviewed Jack in a video chat recently for this Philippine exclusive, we asked the classically handsome actor how the shocking sacrifice has changed Alfred in Season 2, which begins airing at 9 p.m. on Warner TV (channel 34 on SkyCable; 235 on Cignal TV) today.
“It’s obviously a huge deal. The fact that Alfie killed his father is massive,” Jack acknowledged. “We meet Alfred in Season 2 a year after the events in the first season. This time, one of the major changes in him is, as much as he still has that moral compass to do good for other people, he’s had to become more selfish and a bit cold.
“Alfie’s sole focus now is to make enough money to get him, his mom (Dorothy Atkinson) and his loyal buddies from the SAS (Special Air Service) of the British Army, Bazza (Hainsley Lloyd Bennett) and Dave Boy (Ryan Fletcher), off to America for a fresh start.
“I think Alfie has realized that doing stuff for other people, endlessly, is a limited resource and he knew he will eventually run out of charitable acts to do. With his father gone, he has to focus more on his own family [and those he considers part of it]. He still deals with situations with humor and charm, but he’s a bit more inward-focused this year.”
Indeed, focus is one thing Alfred needs at this crucial point in his life, especially because the inventively imagined England he inhabits in the swinging ‘60s has since found itself embroiled in a devastating civil war, exacerbated further by the power struggle between the neofascist Raven Union and the No Name League, with the sinister Lord Harwood (Jason Flemyng) threatening to control the entire country.
Alfie is now in charge of running The Delaney, a nightclub in the Soho district frequented by people from different political persuasions.
Also navigating her way within this complex world is Lord Harwood’s sinister former conspirator Bet Sykes, portrayed to cunning perfection by the exceptional Paloma Faith, who’s deliciously wicked as all get-out.
Fans of the series can likewise expect a lot of exciting things, from insightful character development to heightened action scenes, Jack disclosed: “The action stuff is quite exciting here. Before all this, I didn’t really know how to shoot guns. And we’re also driving a lot of mad cars this year, which was quite fun [to execute]!
“But from a personal point of view, this year has been great because, in Season 1, you’re just trying to work out what the show or your character is all about, whereas in Season 2, after spending 10 hours with the character, you kind of know him inside-out already.
“I’ve never developed a character this long. So, for me, it was about trying to be the constant, the voice and the heartbeat of the whole piece in the midst of all these mad characters.
“Along the way, I’ve learned to honor the work that we were doing without repeating myself. We’ve all grown into the style of the show, honed by producers Bruno Heller, Matthew Patnick and Danny Cannon, who also directs the series.”Due to his constant run-ins with Bruce Wayne’s future parents—CIA operative Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge) and No Name member Martha Kane (Emma Paetz)—Alfred is thrust further into the spy game.
Jack explained how Alfred has emerged from his experiences as a boy straight out of his long stint with the military, where he met his mysterious SAS supervisor, Capt. Gulliver Troy, played by guest star James Purefoy.
“At the start of the season, Alfie has just gotten out of the army. He was in there for 10 years, but he was stll very young. He went from being a boy in Season 1 to being a grown man in Season 2 who has since learned to take charge and be the boss.
“For a man who says he doesn’t like violence, Alfred does a hell of a lot of violence (laughs)! He is seen in many action sequences this season because London is at war. He’s continually developing and honing the skills he had learned in the army.
“As far as his ability to lead is concerned, Alfred is trying to worm his way out of people like Inspector Aziz (Ramon Tikaram). But he’s got his work really cut out for him because, this time around, he encounters even more new villains to thwart.” INQ
