A whispering Batman?
Inspired by Kurt Cobain?
In slippers??
Robert Pattinson had some wild ideas about how to bring Batman to life.
Find it all right here.
"The Batman" is finally out in theaters, and there is no one better to play eccentric billionaire
Bruce Wayne than Robert Pattinson.
His version of Batman is less polished and grungier than previous iterations, and the
actor has found ways to make the role his own.
He even tried to change a well-known hallmark attributed to the franchise — Batman's voice.
In order to disguise himself from his alter-ego Bruce, "Batman" films have always included
some alteration to the character's voice.
Be it Christian Bale's trademark gritty roar or Ben Affleck's voice modulator in the DCEU
films, changing the voice is an important aspect of the role.
Not to be outdone, Pattinson tried to put his own flair on the concept, though it didn't
last for very long.
In an attempt to distinguish himself from his predecessors, Pattinson wanted to steer
away from what audiences had come to know as Batman and do something "radically different."
In an interview on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", he explained how he tried to change the voice,
"I just thought because everyone does this kind of gruff, gravelly thing, I'm gonna do
the opposite."
As for what Pattinson decided his take was going to be, he told Kimmel,
"I'm going to go really whispery and I tried to do it for it for the first two weeks and
it just looked absolutely atrocious."
The actor took his shot and although it didn't immediately hit with the production of "The
Batman," he eventually found his stride.
After his first attempt at a different voice, he found a happy medium.
Pattinson admitted that something seemingly happens when you put on the suit.
After he found his groove, he was able to find the best voice for the film.
"I'm vengeance."
To Robert Pattinson's credit, what he was trying wasn't that far off the mark.
With so many versions of Batman, it is only natural that an actor may want to try something
new.
And he wasn't even the first Batman to try it.
When initially trying on the costume, Pattinson learned that Batman veteran Christian Bale
had also tried to use a similar intonation for "Batman Begins."
Bale, or course, portrayed an entirely different Batman.
Where Pattinson's Batman is reclusive and moody, Bale emphasized Bruce Wayne's wealth
and privilege.
But even with this dichotomy, it seems that Pattinson's instincts weren't so different
from Bale's.
Bale has been somewhat infamous for how dark and rough his voice became when portraying
the Batman persona.
Though he has gotten flak for the voice he puts on, some fans argue that it's important
to differentiate Bruce Wayne from Batman.
Wayne is a recognizable figure in Gotham, a local celebrity, so he would need a severe
vocal change in order to protect his identity.
Pattinson felt comforted that not only did Bale try to do a different voice, but you
can hear it in a very early teaser trailer for the 2005 film.
You can also hear Bale's early voice experiment in his audition video.
"Gotham needs you."
"And you serve Gotham?"
"I serve justice."
The voice isn't the only difference between Bale and Pattinson's Batman.
Director Matt Reeves has been very open about his influences on the "The Batman."
In an interview for Empire, the director spoke about how one of his main influences was Kurt
Cobain.
Nirvana's "Something In the Way" is featured heavily in the trailer and there is a grungier
aesthetic present in the promotional materials.
At first Pattinson didn't agree, saying
"Really?
That's kind of the opposite of what I imagine Bruce Wayne to be."
But eventually, he started brainstorming on the subject.
After his idea of the whispering voice failed, he had some additional input.
Pattinson joked to Jimmy Kimmel that in the first costume meeting,
"I wanted to go really, really, really Kurt Cobain and kind of wanted to wear a dressing
gown and kind of fluffy bugs bunny slippers."
But the idea of grunge is still present in this iteration of "The Batman."
Even without any whispering or flannel, the gritty aspect of the film is present in Batman's
muscle car and beat-up costume.
And if the reactions to "The Batman" from fans and critics are any indication, Pattinson
certainly stuck the landing, despite his early vocal experiments.
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