Nicholas Hoult Is Both Happy And Sad That He Didn't Get To Star In The Batman
During the development of "The Batman," there were only two real contenders to be the Dark Knight: Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult. Director Matt Reeves had been impressed by their recent performances (Pattinson in "Good Time" and "High Life," Hoult in "The Favourite") and knew he wanted one of them to be his leading man. Both actors met with Reeves and had screen tests, and as you probably know by now, Pattinson got the part.
During the press tour for Hoult's new movie "Renfield," GQ España asked him whether he regrets missing out on Batman. "I'm sure if you ask most people, they'll tell you they'd want to portray that role," Hoult replied (indeed, Nick, indeed). However, beyond that, he wasn't bitter about it at all. He explained:
"When they tell you for the first time that it's not you, it's painful, but then you have to accept it as normality. I think that's probably a strength of mine as an actor as well. I can accept that they didn't cast me pretty well and when I see the chosen actor doing a great job, and I enjoy it, and it's good, I'm like, 'Oh yeah, they made the right choice. They knew what they were doing.' So it's not like I'm sitting there like, 'Oh, I'm not going to watch it now.' It's a good movie and Rob is brilliant in it."
So, even Pattinson's runner-up thinks that Reeves made the right casting call. I think it comes down to the way the director characterized Batman, which played to Pattinson's talents more than Hoult's.
Why Pattinson over Hoult?
"I don't think I would have done as good a job as [Pattinson] ultimately," Hoult elaborated. "I don't think I could have fit as well into the world that Matt created as Rob did."
Pattinson was considered an unconventional choice for Batman — at least by people unaware of the impressive career he has built since "Twilight." Ironically enough, his detached, half-too-serious, half-ironic performance as Edward Cullen isn't far off from how he played Batman.
Reeves' Batman is an emo Batman; the director even modeled him off Kurt Cobain. Pattinson plays Bruce Wayne as humorless and totally devoted to "the mission." His relationship with Alfred (Andy Serkis) is cold, he has no life outside of his night vigilantism, and he journals like Travis Bickle or Rorschach. There's a reason that jokes about this Batman being a My Chemical Romance fan took off. I think the other Pattinson performance that most informs his Batman is in David Cronenberg's "Cosmopolis," in which he plays a billionaire totally detached from humanity — like Bruce Wayne minus the heroic side.
Emo Batman just isn't right for Hoult. He looks more boyish and innocent than Pattinson, and his strengths as an actor are exuberance and comedy. In "Mad Max: Fury Road," he's a scene-stealer as the manic Nux. In "The Favourite," he's a manipulative slimeball. In "The Menu," he's the personification of clueless and self-centered privilege. Hoult would be a better fit for a Batman in the Christian Bale mold, i.e. one who pretends to be an insufferable and oblivious rich guy when he's in public as Bruce Wayne. However, Reeves opted for a different take, and it sounds like Hoult enjoyed Pattinson's portrayal of Batman as much as other Bat-fans did.