Alicia Silverstone was on a roll in the mid-1990s, going from an Aerosmith music video catch to showing her range as both dramatic seductress in The Crush and fashion icon in Clueless. But as the decade progressed quite quickly, Silverstone ran into a bat-shaped issue that could have cost her her career. Now, Alicia Silverstone is reflecting on her time as Batgirl and how it marked a certain end to her allure during the decade.
Following the dismal reception and Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress (“beating” co-star Uma Thurman), Silverstone had some other poorly received movies in Excess Baggage and Blast from the Past, resulting in stepping away from lead roles for some time. “I wasn’t happy and what I did was really extract myself a bit from my acting career and went more into my activism,” she said. “I went to Africa. to help the elephants, I went to Peru to try to help the rainforest…” So, yes, in a way, playing Batgirl in Batman & Robin drove Alicia Silverstone to leave the continent on multiple occasions.
She also wasn’t a fan of her costume. On her Batgirl outfit, Alicia Silverstone recalled that “it was really hard to get in and really, really hard to get out of”…which anybody who has seen even a still image of the get-up could figure.
However, Alicia Silverstone didn’t have a completely terrible time as Batgirl on Batman & Robin, stating that her co-stars were a major comfort. “Working with Michael Gough was magical. We had a very special bond. And George Clooney was so big brother-kind to me.” That may be because Clooney also openly despised his own Batman & Robin costume, which has come to be known as the one with bat-nipples.
Alicia Silverstone previously stated that she would like to tackle her Batgirl character now that she has experienced more and grown as a person. “I’d like to do it all over again as this woman! [Laughs] I think it would be much better now.”
What did you think of Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl in Batman & Robin? Is her performance as bad as its reputation? Let us know in the comments section below.