Robert Pattinson reflects on stepping into the Batsuit for the first time

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

At the start of the summer, the rumor mills quickly starting spinning about Matt Reeves’ upcoming take on Batman (simply known now as THE BATMAN) and how actor Robert Pattinson was being eyed as the top choice to take on the cowl. Nothing had been confirmed at that point, but it didn’t take long for news to arrive that Pattinson indeed won the part and will be our newest Caped Crusader. While he's secure in the role now, Pattinson reflected on being “f**king furious” when the first leak came out, fearing that it would ruin his chances at winning the role.

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“When that thing leaked, I was f—ing furious,” Pattinson said during a lengthy feature with Variety. “Everyone was so upset. Everyone was panicking from my team. I sort of thought that had blown up the whole thing.” He continued, “It was terrifying. I was like, ‘Oh f—! Does that screw me because they are so intent on secrecy?’”

At the point of the story leaking Pattinson hadn’t even had his audition yet, but he certainly had been campaigning for the role, fearing his chances were out the window while heading to Cannes for the premiere of his new movie, THE LIGHTHOUSE. His desire for the role may come as a surprise to anyone who has seen the actor’s recent catalog of movies, comprised almost entirely of indie flicks like DAMSEL, GOOD TIME and this year’s HIGH LIFE. But he wanted Batman, and kept pursuing some face time with Reeves.

"I sort of had an idea to do it, and I’d been prodding Matt. He didn’t accept any prods. I kept asking to meet him," he said.

The actor talked about owning a Batman costume as a child, and during his screen test got a chance to don a real one while doing the screen test for Reeves.

“I put it on. I remember saying to Matt, ‘It does feel quite transformative!’ He was like, ‘I would hope it does! You’re literally in the Batsuit.’ You do feel very powerful immediately. And it’s pretty astonishing, something that is incredibly difficult to get into, so the ritual of getting into it is pretty humiliating. You’ve got five people trying to shove you into something. Once you’ve got it on, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I feel strong, I feel tough, even though I had to have someone squeezing my butt cheeks into the legs.’”

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Pattinson is currently working on the new movie TENET, which is directed by Christopher Nolan, who is famous for helming the DARK KNIGHT movies with Chrisitan Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne. Pattinson got the news of him winning the role (over actor Nicholas Hoult) while on the set of the movie, and he said he got a chance to talk with his director about working in the Batsuit, particularly, "how to get more movements in it.”

When it comes to production on the movie itself, things should kick off next year, and as for the future of Pattinson as Batman beyond a single movie, he has no idea. Most actors who don a costume usually sign up for more than one movie in case sequels are planned, but Pattinson didn't reveal anything on that front. 

As for Pattinson himself, there have been some naysayers out there who still equate him with his years as a sparkly, pale vampire in the TWILIGHT movies, but he has proven himself more than capable of taking on the cowl through his work in movies like HIGH LIFE, which have shown a darker, more subtle side to the actor. Everyone on that stage got to see him in the Batsuit during his screen test, and hopefully, we won't have to wait long to get a glimpse ourselves. 

THE LIGHTHOUSE with Pattinson and Willem Dafoe is in theaters October 18.