The Batman star Robert Pattinson has opened up on the challenges that came with maintaining the Dark Knight's unique voice. Pattinson is about to become the next actor to bring the Caped Crusader to life on the big screen, following Ben Affleck's run in the DCEU. With The Batman taking place in its own universe, the Matt Reeves-directed picture will follow Bruce Wayne's life as Gotham City's crime fighter. Rather than following a traditional origin story, however, The Batman will explore Bruce's second year as the iconic DC hero, during which he is not entirely new in the role, but still far away from being the iconic Batman fans know and love.
The Batman, which is being envisioned as the beginning of a new Batman trilogy for Warner Bros., will see Bruce Wayne taking on Paul Dano's Edward Nashton, a.k.a. The Riddler. With The Batman depicting The Riddler as a Zodiac-inspired serial killer, the reboot will be quite a different experience for the Dark Knight's cinematic history. The Batman will also explore the hero's rouges gallery, with The Penguin and Carmine Falcone, played by Colin Farrell and John Turturro, respectively. The reboot is also introducing the latest iteration of Selina Kyle, with Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman.
As several actors have portrayed Batman in film, one of the most important aspects about the character is nailing the Caped Crusader's voice. In a new interview with GQ, Pattinson spoke about doing his take on the Batman voice, which he admitted was a challenge. The British star shared how he, unwaveringly, did vocal exercises that helped him find and keep up his take on the Batman's low, husky voice. Pattinson shared the following:
"I mean it's really hard, it's really, really hard. I think I was doing vocal exercises without actually knowing they were vocal exercises. I think [my] larynx or something just got strengthened or something when I was doing the movie. When I was doing ADR for it, I mean I couldn't even do the voice again. It had completely reverted back to normal."
When it comes to playing Batman in either live action or animation, the voice is a make-it-or-break-it aspect. Kevin Conroy, who has voiced Batman the longest since Batman: The Animated Series, set the standard in a lot of ways for the character's media portrayal. Some actors have nailed the hero's fear-striking voice, such as Christian Bale in Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, while others have opted for a less intimidating approach. Given the DC character is ultimately just a man dressed up as a bat, it's crucial that his voice is intimidating on every level, in order to capture Batman's nightmare-like presence. Based on the various trailers for The Batman, Pattinson is certainly embracing this as much as possible.
Given that Pattinson explained how it was hard to do the voice for ADR, it's possible future The Batman sequels will take a similar approach to Affleck's character. In the DCEU, Affleck's Batman had a voice modulator, which likely made it easier for the actor to avoid straining his voice. Since his iteration is still early in his career, it wouldn't be unrealistic for Pattinson's Batman to use a voice changer as part of his disguise. With The Batman being less than a month away from releasing in theaters, the world will soon get to hear Pattinson's Batman voice in its entirety.
Source: GQ
