Robert Pattison didn’t expect to land the role of a lifetime. In fact, when the news broke that the actor, 33, would play the next Batman, he hadn’t even auditioned for the part yet. Pattinson was headed to Cannes Film Festival in May when the story leaked to the press about the Matt Reeves film.
“When that thing leaked, I was f–king furious. Everyone was so upset. Everyone was panicking from my team. I sort of thought that had blown up the whole thing,” he revealed in the new issue of Variety, adding that he was worried he wouldn’t get the part. “It was terrifying. I was like, ‘Oh f–k! Does that screw me because they are so intent on secrecy?’”
During the flight, Pattinson kept googling himself to find out if he’d been cut from Reeves’ list; later, while filming Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, he found out that he landed the role. “I was absolutely relieved when Matt called,” the Twilight star said, due to the irony that Nolan had created the iconic Dark Knight trilogy. “It’s so bizarre. I was like, ‘What a coincidence this is happening. It’s absolutely crazy.’ I was talking about things to do with the Batsuit. How to get more movements in it.”
While Pattinson has done many successful and meaningful roles, he’d stayed away from superheroes in the past; Batman was the only one he’d loved as a kid. “It’s actually an interesting part. I think it’s because he doesn’t have any superpowers,” the actor said, noting that he loved Tim Burton’s Batman movies when he was younger. “When I was a kid, it was the only outfit that I had!”
The Dior model is also very aware that not everyone was happy with the casting — something he doesn’t mind. “To be honest, it was less vitriolic than I was expecting,” he revealed. “It’s much more fun when you’re an underdog. There’s no expectation of you.”
The Batman will hit theaters in June 2021.
