Portraying Bane in 'Gotham' Is a 'Dream Come True,' Says Shane West
*By Brian Henry*
Fans of the tearjerker "A Walk to Remember" might not recognize star Shane West. In stark contrast to his role as Landon ー reformed bad boy and star-crossed lover to Mandy Moore's Jamie ー the actor is making his debut on Fox's "Gotham" as one of DC Comics' most notorious villains: Bane.
According to West, the series creators saved one of the best nemeses for last.
"It was the final season, they saved their one big, bad villain that they hadn't done in five years for the end," he told Cheddar.
For West, a rabid fan of comics, the role is the culmination of a "random dream come true."
"They called me about it. I had never played a hero or a villain from a comic book and to have this be my first one. And to work in New York for a few months ー I had never worked in New York ー it was a no-brainer."
Even though his breakthrough film, "A Walk to Remember," is 17 years in the past, West said the story endures.
"It was a very touching story and with a lot of those types of stories and movies its based on chemistry," he said.
West said he couldn't have anticipated the film would resonate so deeply with viewers ー but he gives his co-star, then a newcomer to the business, plenty of the credit.
"Mandy was wonderful and kind of new into the acting world. She'd been around as a pop star at the time. I was on a TV show and had done a couple films before that. We were both basically new."
"People have continued to watch it for 17 years," he added.
Almost two decades later, West is more than ready to embody a new kind of character.
"Gotham" airs Thursdays on Fox.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/shane-west-talks-tackling-the-role-of-iconic-batman-villain).
Tyler Mayoras, CEO of Cool Beans, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss the science behind being a 'good mood food,' and what makes these burritos good for the environment.
This year on Black Friday, the National Basketball Players Association launched a traveling NBPA-branded holiday pop-up called 'NBPA 450 Gives.' This was a 14-day long experiential and digital activation showcasing the best gifts for this holiday season, featuring items from black-owned businesses to celebrate Google's black-owned Friday initiative. JD sat down with Brooklyn Nets player, Blake Griffin, who helped launch this initiative.
The one-hour special 'Cannabiz: Legalization Goes Mainstream' explores the state of marijuana. Cheddar News is joined by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Village CEO Dan Pettigrew, and many more.
Bitcoin is still struggling to hold $47,000 and is well off from the near $68,000 high it saw in November. As the Federal Open Market Committee wraps up its two-day monetary policy meeting, some crypto investors are worried as they wait for news on policy. Shiv Madan, CEO of Moonwalk joins Cheddar News to discuss what's in store for the industry.
After becoming the must-have app in 2020, TikTok continues to be a dominant force in the music industry. According to TikTok's 2021 music report, 430 songs exceeded 1 billion video views on the platform this year, three times as many songs as last year. TikTok's music editorial lead, William Gruger, joined Cheddar News to discuss.
The Trevor Project released its latest extensive peer-revied study examining hormone therapy among transgender and nonbinary youth. The article is the first large-scale study to examine the relationship between receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy and rates of depression and suicide risk. Jonah DeChants, a lead research scientist for The Trevor Project, joined Cheddar News to discuss.
