Sweetest little jazz killer in Chicago. That's the angle I'm after.Billy talking to Amos about his campaign on helping Roxie.
My client feels that it was the combination of liquor and jazz that led to her downfall.Billy to the reporters in his campaign for Roxie's defence.
William "Billy" Flynn is the deuteragonist of the musical Chicago, and all of its adaptations. He is an incredibly charismatic, flamboyant and smooth talking lawyer with an incredibly corrupt and nihilistic outlook on life.
In the original Broadway version of the musical, he was portrayed by the late Jerry Orbach, who also played Sa'Luk in Aladdin and the King of Thieves, and King Charlatan in the 1984 My Little Pony series.
In the 2002 film, he was portrayed by Richard Gere, who also played Dennis Peck in Internal Affairs.
History
Billy Flynn is a heavily corrupt lawyer notorious for getting unrepentant murderers freed. After Roxie murders her lover Fred Casely, whom she was committing adultery with, she hears about what Billy Flynn did for another murderess, the infamous Velma Kelly, and he becomes her lawyer. Despite representing her, he has little regard or concern for her well-being, or for that matter the well-being of any of his clients, and makes it abundantly clear that he is doing it only for the money. He shows signs that he would eagerly abandon his clients for a richer, more famous one if he had the chance. He also has no shame about manipulating Roxie's innocent husband Amos and making him the media scapegoat for Roxie's crimes. In the end he manages to get Roxie acquitted, largely on account of turning the trial into a media circus. Afterwards he happily leaves Roxie to fend for herself, again showing that he never cared about her in the slightest. During the movie he is seen in the audience during the final number applauding Roxie and Velma.
Personality
Billy is a calm, smooth-talking and charismatic lawyer who always looks for loopholes and twists the truth in order for him to win his clients' cases. He is incredibly confident and manipulative and always uses whatever lie he can think of as long as it helps his clients. He is also flamboyant and narcissistic in the way that he can tell he is superior to everyone around him and always uses his charisma to assist him whenever possible. He is genuinely polite and determined despite being rather selfish and in the cases for himself.
Quotes
Billy to Roxie before singing We both reached for the gun.Shut up dummy.
They'll love you a lot more when you hang. You know why? Cause that sells more papers!Billy during his argument with Roxie.
That's Chicago.Billy to Roxie.
Trivia
- Hugh Jackman, the late Michael Jackson, John Cusack, Rupert Everett, Kevin Kline, Steve Martin and Kevin Spacey were offered the role of Flynn.