The Surprising Way Playing Batman Impacted Robert Pattinson

Sure, superhero movies finally breaking into the mainstream have made a wide variety of heroic roles available for actors to try their hand at, but one still stands out as the biggest of the bunch: Batman. From the late Adam West to Ben Affleck, countless actors have left their mark on the big screen legacy of the Dark Knight. While not all reached great heights as the character, it's a remarkable accolade to earn all the same. With the release of director Matt Reeves' "The Batman" in March of 2022, Robert Pattinson will add his name to the prestigious list.

Set outside of the confines of the DC Extended Universe — the continuity where the likes of "Justice League" and "Wonder Woman" reside — "The Batman" will introduce moviegoers to a fresh take on Gotham City. In this appropriately seedy incarnation of the famed locale, foes like the Penguin (Colin Farrell) and the Riddler (Paul Dano) run roughshod and endanger the common folk. Thankfully, that's where Pattinson's Batman steps in, putting a stop to their schemes while unconventionally working through his own pent-up rage and temporarily satiating his desire for vengeance.

This new version of the Caped Crusader is unlike anything we've seen at the movies at this point, which is a testament to Robert Pattinson's skills as an actor. Although, that's not to say that bringing this take on Batman to life hasn't come at a cost. Here's how filming "The Batman" impacted Pattinson, both physically and emotionally.

It's no secret that in modern Hollywood, there's an expectation that if you sign on to play a superhero, you need to become that superhero. The likes of Kumail Nanjiani, Henry Cavill, and Brie Larson, among others, took the physicality of their respective roles very seriously, undergoing major bodily transformations as a result. Contrary to his previous comments, Robert Pattinson more than put in the work to become the Batman in every way possible. However, by the time his work under the cowl had concluded, his physical state had deteriorated something fierce.

"This was so all-encompassing," Pattinson told Entertainment Weekly in February of 2022, explaining that maintaining his physique coupled with filming "The Batman" itself kept him busy from dusk till dawn. "You're just constantly in that world...When I look at photos of myself from the makeup test on the last day, I don't even look human by the end of it," he added, likening his physical state to a piece of gum that got chewed up, spit out, and left on the street for years before being scraped up and stuffed into a Batman suit.

From the sound of it, Robert Pattinson went through the wringer to make his rendition of Batman the best he could possibly muster. If the numerous trailers, TV spots, teasers, and more are of any indication, his hard work wasn't in vain.