The Lighthouse star and Mr. New Batman Robert Pattinson is on an enviably well-shot magazine cover this week, complete with a feature that sees the increasingly multifaceted actor opening up about how it feels to take on such an iconic role in American cinema.
In the Varietypiece, Pattinson's shock at the spread of such news in mid-May (even prior to his actual audition) is detailed, with Pattinson noting just how mad he was initially when news broke that he was set to star as the Caped Crusader in Matt Reeves' The Batman. In fact, he nearly became convinced that the leaked info would spoil his chances at officially bagging the part.
"When that thing leaked, I was fucking furious," Pattinson said. "Everyone was so upset. Everyone was panicking from my team. I sort of thought that had blown up the whole thing."
Pattinson was on a flight to Cannes to premiere The Lighthouse at the time and seated next to Top Gun: Maverick director Christopher McQuarrie, who offered some words of consolation ("I'd probably be doing the same thing") when Pattinson expressed embarrassment at having spent the flight Googling his own name out of sheer frustration.
The Batman begins shooting this winter, with a June 2021 release date already on the board. The film, notably, marks a return to blockbuster territory for Pattinson, who intentionally avoided such fare post-Twilight. Addressing the not-positive reaction a smattering of idiots had to his casting, Pattinson seemed decidedly unbothered.
"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," he said. And to add to the naysayers' misunderstanding of the decision, Pattinson is a confirmed longtime fan of the character and is clearly approaching his interpretation with great care.
"I sort of had an idea to [play Batman], and I'd been prodding Matt," he said. "He didn't accept any prods. I kept asking to meet him." Talks were ongoing as Pattinson hit Cannes smack dab in the middle of rumor reports, a Lighthouse promo trip that saw him rehearsing script lines in his hotel room.
Upon his arrival back in Los Angeles, Pattinson had to give the Batsuit a try-on for Reeves and company, which he describes as a "transformative" experience despite the downside of having to endure someone squeezing one's "butt cheeks into the legs."
Pattinson officially got the part five days later, with the official word arriving on his first day of shooting Tenet, the new film from noted Batman franchise-reviver Christopher Nolan.
"I was talking about things to do with the Batsuit," Pattinson said of his ensuing discussions with Nolan, who closed out his Batman work with The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. "How to get more movements in it."
Pattinson is joined in Nolan's Tenet by John David Washington, Kenneth Branagh, and Elizabeth Debikci. The film is set for a July 17, 2020 U.S. release. Reeve's The Batman, meanwhile, will arrive one year later on June 25.
For the full Variety feature, which is quite a read, click here.
