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Jada Pinkett Smith Brought a Shirtless Man on a Leash to Her Gotham Audition

Jada Pinkett Smith on Gotham
Jada Pinkett Smith auditioned for her role as Fish Mooney on Gotham by bringing in a shirtless man on a leash.

Fish Mooney proved her loyalty! Actors occasionally bring props to their auditions, but Jada Pinkett Smith took it to the next level for Fox’s Gotham. The 43-year-old star decided to make it clear that she understood her devious character Fish Mooney when she went before executive producer Danny Cannon

According to Vulture, at the PaleyFest panel on Saturday, Oct. 18, Pinkett Smith revealed that she came in for her audition wearing a long, flowing gown and her short black wig, and brought a special surprise. Walking in on a leash carried by the actress was a shirtless man who had the word “LIAR” written across his forehead in lipstick. 

"I said, 'Forget it, instead of talking about who Fish Mooney is, let me just show you,'" Pinkett Smith said. "I went Method."

Related: PHOTOS: TV stars' Halloween costumes

The wife of Will Smith is playing an original character who has never appeared in the superhero universe — in comics, films, or TV shows — for the Batman prequel series. Fish is a club owner who works for one of the major crime leaders in Gotham and has plans to overthrow him. She has a team of loyal henchmen and a seemingly shady background with Detective Jim Gordon’s (Ben McKenzie) partner Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue). 

Related: PHOTOS: Stars in matching Halloween costumes

On the red carpet at PaleyFest, she told Us Weekly that her family (including kids Jayden, 16, and Willow, 13) helps her prepare for the role. 

“My husband’s watching it and my kids are watching it too,” she told Us. “They love it and of course they have a lot of notes for me always. And my husband’s very smart because he just says, ‘Great job, baby! I love the episodes!’”

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