Of all the casting decisions for Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, Christian Bale’s appointment as the new Bruce Wayne was perhaps the least divisive. He seemed like a good fit for the part. And besides, most of the outrage was aimed squarely at Heath Ledger being cast as the Joker.
In the years since, his approach to the fan-favorite character has been largely embraced. That hasn’t stopped Bale from taking a look back over his three-movie stint as the Caped Crusader with a very critical eye though, as he revealed to Yahoo Movies during a press rounds for Knight of Cups:
“I didn’t quite manage what I hoped I would throughout the trilogy. Chris [Nolan] did, but my own sense of self is like, ‘I didn’t quite nail it.’”
So, what would Bale have done differently?
“Batman, he’s this very, very dark, messed-up character. I found when I put on the suit I went, ‘I just feel like a bloody idiot if I don’t use this as a means to kind of (show) his true, monstrous self that he allows to come out in that moment.’ ”
He goes on to reveal that he wanted to create a more tortured, troubled Batman, but says he felt in the shadow of his co-star Ledger, whose performance he referred to as “so much more interesting than me and what I’m doing.” It seems he’s being rather hard on himself, especially as his version is revered in fan circles.
No matter what your personal opinion on who the best Batman is, there’s bound to be tons of folks who hold an opposing view. Once Ben Affleck makes his debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on March 25, expect the debates to begin again.
