Ben McKenzie Is 'Great in Bed,' According to Ben McKenzie

Joe Pugliese

FOX's The O.C. burned fast and bright. The teen soap lasted only four seasons but somehow remains seared in our memory as the perfect bit of escapist prime-time entertainment. Ben McKenzie, 36, starred as Ryan Atwood, the show's resident bad boy—a mysterious, brooding kid from the wrong side of town, whose leather jackets drove the rich girls wild. McKenzie's own backstory is decidedly less formulaic: After studying economics and foreign affairs at the University of Virginia, the Austin-born McKenzie took a sharp right turn to acting. He waited tables. He worked as a telemarketer. Money was so tight he shared a bunk bed in his first New York City apartment. Still, he never had a problem meeting women. Here, McKenzie—who is back on TV as an early James Gordon in FOX's breakout hit Gotham—talks about Tinder, handcuffs, and how Abraham Lincoln is his wingman.

You played high school football in Texas. Were you as cool as Tim Riggins on Friday Night Lights?

Oh man, I wish I was Riggins. I did have a chance to briefly date a cheerleader, which was fun. Until she dumped me. But being on the team definitely helps an awkward teenager.

Were you really that awkward?

I wasn't awkward so much as quiet. I tried to milk the quiet, introverted type for as long as I could. You know that great quote they attribute to Abraham Lincoln: "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt"? It's better to shut up and look dangerous than speak and reveal yourself to be an idiot.

You had bunk beds in your first New York apartment. How did women feel about that?

You have to talk about it before you enter the apartment. You can't just drop that bomb. I may have managed a makeout session or two, but I certainly don't remember being able to seal the deal. Any woman worth her salt has to draw a line at some point. And that line is definitely having bunk beds as a 22-year-old.

The O.C. surely helped. Can you tell me about an unlikely female fan?

I was living in Santa Monica and Clint Eastwood's wife introduced herself to me at a restaurant. I had auditioned for an Eastwood movie and she was complimentary of my audition—which was nice but a little weird. She's watching my audition tape? Then she said, "You know, we love the show." Who is we? She's like, "I watch it with the kids. And Clint watches it with them."

You were making money for the first time. What's the most lavish thing you did to impress a woman?

Honestly, it was great to be able to take a girl out to a nice meal. I like the idea of old-fashioned dating, which at this point is almost heretical. People are genuinely surprised when you ask them out.

Well, you can't exactly join Tinder.

No, the loss of anonymity is the cost of doing business. But my friends are on Tinder. They have some interesting stories.…

You've managed to keep your relationships private. There was a blip at Comic-Con this year—

Because I gave Nina Dobrev a hug! The one time I actually didn't hook up with someone…. I'm really shy about that stuff. I really don't like relationships to be played out in public. It creates terrible strain. It creates bizarre dynamics. There's that saying, "Less said about the bedroom, the better."

Fair enough. You played a cop on Southland for five years. Did a girl ever ask you to wear the uniform at home?

There's been a joke or two, but no one's ever really asked. Handcuffs have been brought.


I didn't have them. They were brought. And that's fun. As long as they're not actual real ones where you can lose the key. You want the obviously not real ones. The pink fluffy ones.

James Gordon is the moral compass of Gotham City. You seem similarly inclined.

I try to be. I can't claim that I have the moral rectitude of a Jim.

Do you believe in monogamy?

I've never had a problem being monogamous in a serious relationship. I've also never had a problem dating as I see fit when I'm not in a relationship. The guilt of not being monogamous would be massive. I don't think that I could deal with that. Maybe that's why I'm not in a relationship.

If I asked all the women you ever dated to agree on something about you, What would they say?

He's great in bed.


They would say, "He's stubborn." Maybe that's a little too self-deprecating. But early on, stubborn. Maybe a little detached at times. I'm giving you a real answer.

Real answers are appreciated.

All right: I don't know what they would say. But I would be fascinated to get the polling on that.

If you could have a do-over of any event involving a woman, what would it be?

It's a bit of a cliché, but basically I wish I'd listened more. Get over your ego a bit. Listen to a different perspective and you almost always modify your position and realize you're probably too dogmatic, too competitive, too jealous, too frustrated. I love women for being able to knock that shit out of you.

Last question: Is there a chick flick you'll admit to enjoying?

I love all kinds of romantic movies. I'm coming up with examples that aren't actually chick flicks; they're sappy movies. Marley & Me made me cry a million times.

That definitely counts as a chick flick.

It's about the dog, not about the relationship!

Related: Christoph Waltz Confirms Those Kinky Quentin Tarantino Rumors


This article appears in the January 2015 issue of ELLE magazine.

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