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).
Netlify, a platform that builds, deploys and hosts websites and apps, raised $105 million dollars in a Series D round, now valuing the company at $2 billion. Along with the funding, Netlify is also announcing the acquisition of the company OneGraph. Netlify says OneGraph's technology will drive a new wave of innovation on its platform, by making it easier to compose apps with the best developer tools available. Netlify co-founder and CEO Matt Biilmann joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Chip Paucek, CEO and co-founder of 2U, an educational tech company, joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to talk about the company's $800 million acquisition of online course provider edX featuring curriculum from Harvard and MIT. He noted that added services will provide 2U users with high quality, free options. "Us coming together with edX should allow us to really continue to drive affordability for people to unlock their own potential in a variety of different kinds of programs," he said.
Beginning Christmas Day, the home of the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Kings, and Sparks, the Staples Center, will go by the name Crypto.com Arena after a massive $700 million deal with AEG. Steven Kalifowitz, the chief marketing officer at Crypto.com, and Todd Goldstein, the chief revenue officer at AEG, joined Cheddar to talk about the historic changeover in naming rights and what other changes that fans entering the arena might expect.
Jillian Hughes, communications director at Mental Health America, joined "Cheddar Wellness" to talk about her organization's annual report on mental wellbeing. She noted that more than 50 million Americans reported suffering from mental health problems with more than half of them going untreated. Hughes also talked about how the ongoing pandemic continues to impact people's mental health.
The iconic Los Angeles Staples Center will sport a new moniker, Crypto.com Arena, beginning Christmas Day. AEG made the naming-rights deal with Crypto for a historic $700 million.
Robbie Abed, Author of 'Fire Me I Beg You', discusses how the shift to remote work has changed the job landscape and how people can leverage their skills to better suit their lifestyle.
Jill is joined by “Friend of the Pod” Mosheh Oinounou to talk booster shots, and whether “fully vaccinated” will eventually mean three shots, not two. Plus, the latest on the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. And the research is in: we know now the perfect way to hug. Also, Jill and Mosheh debate whether Airpods are passé.
Over the years many people have gotten into the act of living a sustainable life all in the hopes of helping to protect and save the plant. However, some argue that living in this kind of fashion is expensive and only accessible to the wealthy. Editor at Large at CNET Farnoosh Torabi, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Former assistant U.S. attorney David A. Katz joins Cheddar News to discuss the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse and what factors have led to jury deliberations.
