Unlike Twilight, Robert Pattinson 'Didn't Get Death Threats' When He Was Cast As Batman

By right now, most of us have heard the news that Robert Pattinson will be suiting up because the Caped Crusader for Matt Reeves's The Batman. And while we're stoked to watch him take on such an iconic role, we have questions. As an example, what drew Pattinson to the role in the opening place? Is he afraid of getting backlash for his portrayal of such a renowned superhero? Is he nervous to carry on Batman's legacy? All of those thoughts have been swirling around in our brains since the casting news first broke, and thanks to a new interview with The New York Times, we finally have answers.


"If I'd done it a number of years back, I would have been incredibly nervous," Pattinson mentioned as soon as asked about how it feels to be cast because the lead in a large blockbuster film immediately after working on a couple of smaller, art-house movies including The Lighthouse, which hits theaters this Friday (October 19). "... I’ve still got several months before we begin shooting," he added. "Plenty of time to have a panic attack!"


But Pattinson is definitely more excited than he is nervous. Sure, Batman's technically a superhero, although piece of what drew the actor to the role was that the character is flawed. "His morality is a little off," Pattinson mentioned. "He's not the golden boy, unlike every single other comic-book character. There really is a simplicity to his worldview ... Which permits you to have more scope with the character." And unlike other superheroes, Pattinson insists that Batman's "not a hero." "He's a complex character," he mentioned. "I don't think I could ever play a real hero — there's habitually got to be something a little wrong."


So, what is Pattinson's aversion to playing wholesome and exemplary characters? For him, those kinds of roles often feel like a cover-up for what's actually going on in an actor's life. "I've routinely thought that the only reason you'd desire to play a good guy all of the time is because you're desperately ashamed of what you're doing in real life," he mentioned. As an alternative, Pattinson prefers a challenge. "The most enjoyable piece of doing movies is that you could explore the more grotesque or naughty sides of your psyche in a somewhat safe environment," he mentioned. "And it's habitually more fun if you're shocking the people in the room."


As thrilled as he is to be the next Batman, Pattinson understands he has to tread lightly while talking about the character — mainly because diehard fans of the comic books might come for him. "I just fear that any time If I mention anything about Batman, people online are like, 'What does this mean?' And I don't know! I used to be very good at censoring myself, although I've mentioned so several silly things over the years, so I'm routinely curious as soon as I'm promoting these movies how several times I can disaster up."


Public scrutiny, yet, is something Pattinson is used to — especially right after starring in Twilight and suddenly finding himself at center all of the mayhem. "Maybe I'm just used to abuse by right now he mentioned, adding that, unlike his Twilight days, he "didn't get death threats" when The Batman casting announcement was made public.


Considering the quantity of attention and criticism Pattinson obtained for Twilight, some folks are surprised that he's willing jumping back inside a franchise with a built-in fandom. Nevertheless with more years of experience under his belt, Pattinson's confident that such a level of stardom won't be as hard to navigate this time around. "People don’t really disaster with me in the same way right now that I’m older," he mentioned. Any time I was younger, the paparazzi could be crazy to me — I'd be leaving a place, and people could be screaming abuse — yet I can't think about it going back to that. Do people really care anymore?" I guess we'll find out.


Check out the full New York Times interview here, and catch Pattinson in The Lighthouse, which hits theaters this weekend (October 19).