Nobody was more emotional about Ben Affleck as Batman than Christian Bale. The actor chose to end his tenure as the caped crusader after 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, but Bale was stunned (even envious!) to learn that Affleck had been cast as the masked vigilante in Zack Snyder‘s upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie.
“I’ve got to admit initially, even though I felt that it was the right time to stop, there was always a bit of me going, ‘Oh go on… Let’s do another,'” Bale, 40, told Empire magazine (via Comic Book Movie). “So when I heard there was someone else doing it, there was a moment where I just stopped and stared into nothing for half an hour.”
Bale stepped into the role of Bruce Wayne in 2005’s Batman Begins, and went on to play the superhero in 2008’s The Dark Knight as well as The Dark Knight Rises. Despite the initial shock of the Affleck casting news, Bale told the mag that he ultimately made peace with his decision to no longer portray Wayne.
“But I’m 40,” the Oscar winner reasoned. “The fact that I’m jealous of someone else playing Batman… I think I should have gotten over it by now.”
Bale’s confession varies from what he’s projected in previous interviews about Affleck, 42, stepping in as the new Batman. The American Psycho actor even offered advice to Jennifer Garner’s husband while speaking to Access Hollywood last fall.
“I wish him all the best,” Bale calmly responded then. “He’s a very experienced actor and filmmaker and he’ll make it his own… It should be past onto another actor and it will be again after him.”
Bale added to Empire that he’s offered Affleck advice via e-mail. “I haven’t spoken with Ben, but I e-mailed him offering bits of advice that I learned the hard way,” he admitted. “I would imagine he is doing everything he can to avoid anything that I did.”
