Despite the casting announcement being quasi-confirmed some months ago we’ve heard nothing from Robert Pattinson about taking on the role of Batman in Matt Reeves‘ The Batman.
Now, in a new interview with Variety, Pattinson has finally broken that silence and briefly discussed the process in getting the role.
When the rumours first began to circulate that Pattinson was up for the role he was on a flight to Cannes. Upon arriving at the famous film festival he was confronted by journalists keen for gossip on the rumours.
“I’d had Batman in my mind for a while,” Pattinson said. “It’s such an absurd thing to say. I sort of had an idea to do it, and I’d been prodding Matt [Reeves]. He didn’t accept any prods. I kept asking to meet him.”
Whilst dodging the press questions during promotion on The Lighthouse, Pattinson was eagerly studying test pages for The Batman ahead of his audition whilst rumours continued to swirl online. Speaking of the fan response Pattinson said “To be honest, it was less vitriolic than I was expecting. It’s much more fun when you’re an underdog. There’s no expectation of you.”
Following that Cannes appearance Pattinson flew straight back to LA to audition in front of Reeves. Of course the audition process required him to wear the iconic Batsuit, although which version remains to be seen.
“I put it on. I remember saying to Matt, ‘It does feel quite transformative!’ He was like, ‘I would hope it does! You’re literally in the Batsuit.’” Pattinson said. “You do feel very powerful immediately. And it’s pretty astonishing, something that is incredibly difficult to get into, so the ritual of getting into it is pretty humiliating. You’ve got five people trying to shove you into something. Once you’ve got it on, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I feel strong, I feel tough, even though I had to have someone squeezing my butt cheeks into the legs.’”
Ironically Pattinson was filming with director Christopher Nolan on Tenet when he received the call to say that he had won the role. He recalls, “It’s so bizarre. I was like, ‘What a coincidence this is happening. It’s absolutely crazy.” Given Nolan had directed the Dark Knight Trilogy, he turned to him immediately for advice. “I was talking about things to do with the Batsuit,” said Pattinson, “How to get more movements in it.”
Wrapping up the interview Pattinson lamented that he was currently preparing for the role and working on how to approach his performance. Good luck Rob!
The Batman is due for release on June 25, 2021.
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