Robert Pattinsonrecently spilled the details on his audition forThe Batman. Unlike most audition stories, this one sees the actor trying to outsmart hisTenetdirector,Christopher Nolansince Pattinson was filming the delayed Warner Bros. feature whenThe Batmanauditions came around. To read Pattinson’s words is to know true sympathy because the actor’s game plan for sneaking away from set should ring very true for those of us who’ve been looking for a new job while still at our old job.
In a recentIrish Timesinterview pegged to his involvement inTenet, Pattinson recalled his audition process forThe Batman. The actor had secured an audition slot forMatt Reevesupcoming Batman reboot at Warner Bros. and, as Pattinson tells it, it seems he was pretty freakin' keen to try out for the titular role. The only problem? Trying to find a way to tell Nolan, a man who has also directed a successful trio of Batman movies for Warner Bros., a believable excuse that could get him off theTenetset without raising eyebrows. Turns out, that’s easier said than done. According to Pattinson:
“It’s funny because Chris is so secretive about everything to do with his movies. And then I had to be really secretive about Batman stuff. So I had to lie to Chris about having to go for a screen test — I said I had a family emergency. And as soon as I said ‘It’s a family emergency,’ he said: ‘You’re doing theBatmanaudition, aren’t you?'”
Not Robert Pattinson trying to use the oldest trick in the book! Come on, my guy. You can’t pull one over on Nolan.He’sthe tricky one; not you!
Pattison’s anecdotes didn’t stop with his slightly cringe audition story. Returning the focus to his time onTenet(and without giving too much away), Pattinson opened up about the physical challenges of working alongsideTenetleadJohn David Washington, a former NFL player.
“When I’m running on screen I’m generally paired with John David [Washington] who is an ex-NFL player so it was the most unfair thing in the world. The maximum workout I do most of the time is a casual stroll. John David can run all day long. It was good that I ended up being pretty fit. But definitely, at the beginning, there were days I just could not walk afterwards.”
Simply incredible.
These Pattinson anecdotes feel like a shot of life in the conversations around bothTenetandThe Batman. When it comes toTenet, Warner Bros. announced plans to release the movie in international markets first and delay the U.S. release, with it eventuallyopening in select citiesdomestically. As forThe Batman, Pattinson and his other castmates are expected to make anappearance at the DC FanDome eventon August 22 to discuss their movie.
Allie Gemmill is the Weekend Contributing Editor for Collider. You can follow them on Twitter@_matineeidle.
