Robert Pattinson equally surprised at landing the role of Batman: 'It's kind of insane'
If it was a surprise to many fans of the DC universe that actor Robert Pattinson was selected to play the new Batman after Ben Affleck was ousted from the role following his rehab stint, the 'Twilight' star recently opened up about how the news was equally shocking to him as well.
In an interview with Esquire magazine, the 33-year-old actor claimed that he "doesn't understand" how he was chosen for the iconic role, which has been played in the past by legendary actors like Christian Bale, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and Goerge Clooney.
"It's kind of insane. I was so far away from ever thinking it was a realistic prospect. I literally do not understand how I've got it, at all," he said.
In the same interview, where he was joined by his 'The Lighthouse' co-actor Willem Defoe, Pattinson opened up about the tiresome process of rehearsing for his current movie, which he landed far before he was announced as the caped crusader.
"It was very, very frustrating. I just couldn't achieve what they wanted me to achieve in that room. Robert [Eggers] was getting furious with me because I was just sitting there, completely monotone the whole time," he said, opening up about the fact that he could not get into the part without the cameras rolling.
"He could not stand it. I just don't know how to perform it until we're performing it. By the end of the week, I'm thinking, 'I'm going to get fired before we've even started'. I definitely feel like, with the rehearsal period, we were quite angry with each other by the end of it," he added. "Literally, we'd finish for the day, I'd f******g slam out the door and go home. I knew that there was diminishing expectations of me throughout the week of rehearsals. I definitely became an underdog. They're like, 'Wow, this was a big mistake. He's really sh*t.'"
However, Defoe, who has a lot more years of acting experience over his colleague, also defined the film as a grueling one.
''We both were working hard, in really tough conditions. It's not like we hung out in between takes, joking with each other. It was demanding enough, and the weather was s****y enough that you did your thing, and then you went home. I'm not complaining. It was fun. But when you go home after 12 hours and you're soaking wet and you're cold all day, last thing I wanna do after being with those guys all day was to hang out with them and have some drinks," he said.