If there’s one thing about our guy Robert Pattinson, he’s gonna transform himself (and his voice) for a movie — and The Batman was no exception.
Following in the footsteps of folks like George Clooney, Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck, Rob was cast as Batman in May 2019 to star in a trilogy of new Batman movies directed by Matt Reeves. (So far, we’ve only had one, which came out in 2022. The Batman Part II is set to come out next year.)
As you’ll probably remember, Rob’s casting was met with some apprehension from comic book fans, and one specific concern was his look and size. (At one point, Rob called out the claim that, at 6’1, he’s too short to play Batman, saying: “I’m, like, a large person.”)
And I guess the concern may not have been helped by the fact that Rob never presented himself as a hunky, superhero type. In fact, he’d actively rejected the idea of getting “ripped” for The Batman, telling GQ in 2020, “I think if you’re working out all the time, you’re part of the problem.”
Notably, this interview was conducted midway through filming the first Batman movie, and, at the time, he said of his workout regimen: “Literally, I’m just barely doing anything.”
So, fast-forward to March 2022, when The Batman premiered, and Rob’s performance as the Caped Crusader was widely praised. However, some seemed to feel that his physique wasn’t quite up to scratch. Here’s what he looked like in the film. (I personally have no notes.)
And now that filming for The Batman Part II is reportedly underway, Rob has responded to the Bruce Wayne body discourse and the accusations that he “didn’t work out at all” for the first movie.
“I worked out every fucking day,” he told GQ in a brand-new interview to promote The Odyssey. “Even after that, I still look like I didn’t work out. I worked out twice a day at, like, three o’clock in the morning.” Rob even joked that he’s “turned bougie” because he’s currently renting a Beverly Hills property with a home gym to train for The Batman Part II. It’s serious, you guys!
But, I know what you’re thinking: Didn’t he literally tell us he didn’t work out for The Batman? Well, yes, you’d be correct. However, this is Robert Pattinson we’re talking about…
“I was trying to sound cool!” he said of his previous comments.
Exactly! Classic Rob. We’ve gotta take every R-Patz quote with a pinch of salt.
You can read the full GQ interview about The Odyssey here.
