One of the many divisive talking points over Robert Pattinson’s casting as Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves’ The Batman has been the actor’s physical suitability for the part. Often appearing as skinny or at least trim in his roles, Pattinson was reportedly having difficulties putting on the pounds before shooting began. And a new rumor has now suggested that, based on a brief public sighting of the actor at Paris Fashion Week, Pattinson hasn’t bulked up yet for the part, with reports saying that “he didn’t look that much bigger than when he first wowed the general public as the heart-stealing vampire, Edward Cullen.”
Having shown us what he could look like as Bruce Wayne this week, it’s difficult to give much substance to this discussion, especially given that this glimpse of the actor would hardly have shown his actual physique. With shooting only just beginning for Pattinson as well, we have sympathy for the media attention on him and the ongoing speculation over whether he’s right for the part. While admitting his frustrations with being under scrutiny again, he has at least had some jokes at his critics’ expense, including suggesting a career in adult entertainment if The Batman doesn’t work out.
Of course, being physically imposing has never been a prerequisite for playing Bruce Wayne or Batman. Although Christian Bale went through one of his customary transformations for the role, Michael Keaton relied on his body armour-style suit in Tim Burton’s films without any problems. Indeed, some of the doubts about Pattinson echo the pre-online vitriol towards Keaton’s casting, making it an all-too-sad story of an actor not fitting into an ideal of what some consider the part to be.
In any event, the issue of Pattinson “bulking up” or not is trivial compared to what’s already promising to be a fresh take on Batman’s world, which will reportedly be a powerful and emotional experience. With shooting underway, we’re now getting more updates as to potential spoilers for The Batman‘s villains, as well as more reveals of actor preparations. In the case of Colin Farrell’s Penguin, this also unfortunately includes reports of him packing on weight for the role. Let’s hope we get more positive coverage of the production, then, as it continues through 2020.
