Robert Pattinson has declared that he doesn’t see himself playing heroes. So why did he sign up to play Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeve’s reboot ‘The Batman’? For Pattinson, it was easy– he doesn’t consider Batman a hero.
As part of the promotion for his latest picture ‘The Lighthouse’, Pattinson spoke to the New York Times. This is what he had to say about playing Batman:
You were saying earlier that we should be skeptical of any actor who wants to play the hero, and yet here you are playing Batman.
Batman’s not a hero, though. He’s a complicated character. I don’t think I could ever play a real hero — there’s always got to be something a little bit wrong. I think it’s because one of my eyes is smaller than the other one.
What is it about Batman that excites you?
I love the director, Matt Reeves, and it’s a dope character. His morality is a little bit off. He’s not the golden boy, unlike almost every other comic-book character. There is a simplicity to his worldview, but where it sits is strange, which allows you to have more scope with the character.
Who knows what that means? Hopefully, it doesn’t mean that we’re getting a dark, brutal Batman. Or a Batman that is emotionally and psychologically warped by his parents’ deaths. (And for that matter, can we PLEASE not get another reenactment of that death?) Not that I’m saying go full Adam West with ‘The Batman’, but I really don’t need any more grit.
RELATED: Matt Reeves Shares His Approach To ‘The Batman’
Matt Reeves is directing ‘The Batman’ with a script he co-wrote with Mattson Tomlin. Joining Pattinson are Paul Dano as The Riddler/Edward Nashton and Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman/Selina Kyle. Jeffrey Wright may be playing Commissioner Jim Gordon, but that hasn’t been officially confirmed.
The movie is also expected to include appearances by Alfred Pennyworth, Firefly, The Mad Hatter, The Penguin, Two-Face, and possibly Robin/Dick Grayson.
Pattinson, for one, was surprised that there wasn’t more outcry over his casting.
You’ve said that after you were cast as Batman, you anticipated a vitriolic reaction online.
Maybe I’m just used to abuse by now. At least I didn’t get death threats this time — that’s a plus! It’s funny that people are so very angry about “Twilight.” I never particularly understood it.
Pattinson’s latest film is definitely dark. His performance in ‘The Lighthouse’, and the film itself have been nearly universally praised. That film is now in theaters.
‘The Batman’ will arrive in theaters on June 25, 2021.
