The Batman star Robert Pattinson says his Bruce Wayne (and Batman) is a "weirdo," who subverts the public playboy persona usually associated with the character. Pattinson plays the Caped Crusader in writer/director Matt Reeves’ upcoming film, which is easily one of the year’s most anticipated projects. Inspired by comics like Batman: Year One, The Batman finds its main character in his second year as a vigilante, struggling to earn the mantle of the “World’s Greatest Detective.”
In addition to Pattinson, the film stars Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as Lieutenant James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, and Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/Riddler. The latter character is The Batman’s main villain, who goes around Gotham leaving clues for Batman à la the Zodiac Killer. Reeves' film is poised to offer a gritty, 1970s noir take on Pattinson’s Kurt Cobain-esque Batman and his respective genre.
In his cover profile for GQ, Pattinson talked about how his Batman is different to previous iterations. While past live-action versions, including Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck’s portrayals, saw the character lean into his billionaire, playboy persona, this is not the case for Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne, who the actor describes as "kind of a weirdo." Read the full quote below:
“I’ve definitely found a little interesting thread. He doesn’t have a playboy persona at all, so he’s kind of a weirdo as Bruce and a weirdo as Batman, and I kept thinking there’s a more nihilistic slant to it. ’Cause, normally, in all the other movies, Bruce goes away, trains, and returns to Gotham believing in himself, thinking, I’m gonna change things here. But in this, it’s sort of implied that he’s had a bit of a breakdown…"
As was the case in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, Bruce Wayne usually pretends to be an arrogant, aloof playboy, largely so the public never realizes he’s Batman. This facade masks his true persona, which is much more complicated. Besides his no-kill rule, Bruce Wayne/Batman is often deconstructed and compared to the very criminals he fights. To quote Heath Ledger’s inimitable Joker, “you’re just a freak, like me!” Judging by Pattinson's comments, it seems that The Batman looks to explore this aspect of its central hero more so than ever before.
In the same interview, Pattinson goes on to compare his character’s proclivity for donning the cape and cowl to a drug addiction, which he uses to find some element of "hope." Given this, without a playboy persona, Bruce Wayne’s public image in The Batman will most likely be that of an orphaned, enigmatic recluse until he realizes the need for those social theatrics. As previous The Batman trailers and clips have implied, Bruce seems to be spending more time as Batman than as himself. Ironically, as Riddler unveils Gotham’s corruption, he’ll hold a mirror up to Bruce Wayne, and with The Batman's nearly three-hour runtime, audiences will have plenty of time to discover how much of a "weirdo" Pattinson's Bruce really is.
Source: GQ
