A week or so ago Jeffrey Wright talked about The Batman. Now, in an extensive profile with GQ, Batman himself Robert Pattinson opens up about accepting the role.
With so many difference iconic portrayals of the Caped Crusader, from Adam West’s campy to Kevin Conroy’s definitive to Ben Affleck’s beast version, there is a lot of baggage that comes with playing the DC Comics superhero. But according to Pattinson, that was one reason he took the gig. He revealed:
“I think sometimes the downsides—which I’ve definitely thought about—the downsides kind of seem like upsides. I kind of like the fact that not only are there very, very, very well-done versions of the character which seem pretty definitive, but I was thinking that there are multiple definitive playings of the character. I was watching the making of Batman & Robin the other day. And even then, George Clooney was saying that he was worried about the fact that it’s sort of been done, that a lot of the ground you should cover with the character has been already covered. And that’s in ’96, ’97? And then there’s Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck’s one. And then I was thinking, it’s fun when more and more ground has been covered. Like, where is the gap? You’ve seen this sort of lighter version, you’ve seen a kind of jaded version, a kind of more animalistic version. And the puzzle of it becomes quite satisfying, to think: Where’s my opening?
And also, do I have anything inside me which would work if I could do it? And then also, it’s a legacy part, right? I like that. There’s so few things in life where people passionately care about it before it’s even happened. You can almost feel that pushback of anticipation, and so it kind of energizes you a little bit. It’s different from when you’re doing a part and there’s a possibility that no one will even see it. Right? In some ways it’s, I don’t know… It makes you a little kind of spicy.”
I like that Pattinson knew there would be fans that hated his casting, and that made him want to take the role even more. The man obviously knows that he needs to develop his own version of the character that can stand on his own two feet apart from Keaton’s, Clooney’s, Bale’s, etc. versions. I’m definitely interested in seeing Pattinson’s take on the beloved World’s Greatest Detective. The first looks we’ve been blessed with definitely give off an neo-noir/super sleuth tone.
The Batman hits theaters October 1, 2021.
What are your thoughts on spicy Pattinson Batman? Have you changed your opinion on his casting after reading this? Tell us in the comments!
