Robert Pattinson has gone from being a regular guy to being the inspiration behind a popular character. The British actor has taken on the iconic role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, a.k.a. TDKR, which was released in theaters last Friday. In a Q&A with ET Online, Pattinson discusses what it was like to play the Caped Crusader and if he’ll ever be the lead in a movie adaptation of the famed Batman series.
How Did You Get This Part?
Pattinson is a hot commodity these days. After starring in the Twilight movie series, Bill Condon’s 2012 comedy Valentine’s Day, and Disney’s upcoming live-action Aladdin, the 31-year-old actor surely has plenty of options in his career. He was even considered for the lead in the third Indiana Jones movie but ended up being replaced by Steven Spielberg’s nephew, Lucasfilm’s chairman and head honcho, Kathleen Kennedy. So it’s no wonder that Warner Bros. would choose him for such an iconic role as Batman.
However, according to the actor, he almost didn’t get the part. At first, he didn’t even hear about it. Then, when he did, he was asked to come to England for a screen test. After that, he waited two months for the call, which came two weeks before filming began in Detroit.
Was It An Acting Decision?
Pattinson is famously reticent in interviews, so it’s no wonder he didn’t want to talk about TDKR before its premiere. As he explained to ET Online, he doesn’t like to reveal too much about upcoming projects before they’re released. There are many reasons for this, but mostly because he wants the movies to come first and the publicity to follow.
However, he did eventually talk about his decision to take on the part of Batman, saying, “It was a really interesting process…I’d been in the industry for a while and I’d done a lot of different things, so I didn’t really know what to expect. But once I read for it, I had no idea what the film was going to be like. I just knew that I had to play it, and that was that.”
What Do You Think About As Batman?
As a person who has never played the superhero on film, it’s hard to say what Pattinson will bring to the table as Batman. However, as an actor, he has a definite range that he can pull off, as he demonstrated while filming the superhero movie. In one particular scene, Pattinson’s Batman is standing in front of a mirror, adjusting his cowl before a live television studio audience. Even though he doesn’t physically transform in front of them, the audience is still able to empathize with the character because of his facial expressions and the subtle way he manipulates his environment.
While many people had no idea what was going on, he says, “I think it’ll be really interesting to see an audience member’s point-of-view of what’s going on because I think it can really help with the believability of what I’m doing.”
Overall, Pattinson says that he doesn’t know how he’ll play Batman in real life, but that he’s taking inspiration from the comics and the movies to find the man behind the mask. He also says that he’s open to playing other superheroes as long as he gets the chance to play something different.
While he’s not sure if he’ll ever star in a movie adaptation of the famed Batman series, he does hope that one day he’ll be given the opportunity to play a superhero. For now, he’ll have to be content with portraying Batman in various mediums, including video games and collectibles. He also says he has no plans to take on the role of Superman because he feels that it’s an outdated brand. (Via)