Robert Pattinson, the lucky devil, got to try on all the stinky old Batman suits
Pattinson had a lot of bat-talk to share during his appearance on last night's Jimmy Kimmel Live
Film Features Batman
After lurking in the shadows for a longer-than-expected period of time, The Batman is finally set to debut early next month with Robert Pattinson portraying the world’s foremost goofily dressed billionaire. (No, not that one.) And now that it’s almost time for us to witness his Kurt Cobain-inspired take on the character, Pattinson’s doing the talk show circuit telling tales about what it was like to prepare for such a famous role.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night, Pattinson spoke about being fearful that he might end up in a bad Batman movie, how he ended up getting the part, refining the batvoice, and some of the preparation that goes into playing the character.
Pattinson says that his screen test required him to wear an existing Batman suit, which allowed him to “try on every single one.” As an almost palpable demonstration of movie magic’s enduring nature, Pattinson says each suit still has its actor’s sweat smell clinging to it, which presumably allows him to channel the past work of all earlier Batmen by absorbing their pheromones.
“I think the body fit more on Val Kilmer’s one and the head fit on Clooney’s one,” Pattinson remembers. And it wasn’t just Clooney’s Batman head that seemed to inform his version of the costume. Pattinson says “there [were] many, many nipples” on his version. “Very prominent. Pert.”
Sharing more on how legacy informs the costuming process, Pattinson also says he received some advice from Christian Bale on the importance of figuring out how to use the bathroom when dressed like Batman. One of the first orders of business when playing Batman, apparently, is figuring out how to do your business as Batman.
Anyway, this all sounds pretty involved and interesting but really nowhere near as cool as getting ready to play a comic book character by watching big cats fight each other a whole bunch. But, then again, Pattinson also tells Kimmel that he watched a video of a bat fighting a chicken by biting it on its anus while he was preparing, too, so we suppose even he got to see some exciting animal violence for research as well.
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20 Comments
I do find it somewhat adorable that even when Pattison is doing the press tour for one of the biggest movies of the year, he still can’t avoid being a weird dork. And I write that with pure love.
Yes! I find him so refreshingly weird. He’s weird in a genuine way, not in a performative (Jared Leto) way or an annoying (Jeremy Strong) way.
God, don’t get Jessica Chastain started on the Jeremy Strong thing again.
I’m pretty sure that he accidentally revealed here that he pees sitting down. Odd duck. More British Than British.
It’s more comfortable!
I think Kimmel said “So, both sides, eh?” Or something like that. Robert mentioned an opening in the front too. The idea of The Batman on the john fussing over his pant’s flap is pretty hilarious though.
Very relatable. It’s funny that it’s such a lingering problem that every Batman has some version of the same warning. It does explain why both Val Kilmer and George Clooney both look like they need to piss really badly for like 75% of their respective films. Also, it’s also worth noting that, in hindsight, Christian Bale’s Batman voice does sound specifically constipated.
Lol. I’m so used to Bale’s growl that Pattinson’s voice sounds quite silky in comparison.
So does that mean there’s still a chance for us weird dorks to be movie stars?
I’m glad he seems to genuinely enjoy playing Batman and the whole circus around it, some of the superhero stars you can kind of tell it makes them miserable
Aside from the Schumaker costumes, has there ever been a Batsuit that was just plain bad to look at cinematically?
I don’t think so, although… I didn’t really like the Batsuit from Batman Returns. They did away with the muscles in the torso section and instead made it look like it was armor. Which makes sense; it IS armor, but the midsection looks like a large armadillo and the overall effect is too stylized. It just didn’t seem “Batman”-ey enough since in the comics he’s all muscle.
There is something about the returns suit and how it played off the newly designed Gotham and snow.
The color grading in the Whedon JL makes the Batsuit look pretty bad.
Most bats have just one pair of nipples, located near their armpits, but some also have pubic nipples. https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/4974Just putting that out there for the designers of the next Batcostume.
I want to hate Robert ‘sparkle vampire’ Pattinson so bad but he has won me over against my better judgment. Held his own against the great Willem Dafoe in The Lighthouse. The man can act. It’s undeniable.
The brief trailer clip is fascinating. Note how the Batman is running through corridors, yet not outsizing any of the people around him. He just looks like a guy running amidst other just as noticeable guys. Then there are 3 or 4 shots where the camera is distinctly looking DOWN on the Bat. I don’t think there is a single shot that positions him towering above the camera. He is made diminutive. He is moving within and around; not smashing through things. This is going to be a singular Batman.
It’s been known that this is a young Batman that is still learning the ropes, so I appreciated that scene because it looked so vulnerable and real.
I hope that chicken anus-biting thing comes into play during the final confrontation.“Riddle me this, Batman … Ow! Ow! What the fuck are you doing down there?”