Robert Pattinson has revealed he found inspiration from an unlikely place for his forthcoming turn as the Caped Crusader, having said he was influenced in part by his co-star in upcoming horror film The Lighthouse, Willem Dafoe.
The two appear together in The Lighthouse, a black-and-white horror about two lighthouse keepers losing their minds on a remote island, which hits UK screens on 31 January 2020.
But Pattinson admitted he took more away from their experience filming together than a spot alongside Dafoe in the credits, having also been inspired by the actor's performance.
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In an interview with Access Hollywood, Pattinson was asked whether or not he'd practised his Batman voice yet, with the interviewer mentioning Dafoe's 'gritty' voice in The Lighthouse.
Pattinson replied: "Willem's voice in this was quite inspiring for it, to be honest. It is pretty similar, the voice I'm gonna do, to Willem's."
Making a swashbuckling 'Aaargh!' noise, Pattinson laughed, adding with a smile: "I think Batman has a sort of piratey kind of voice - I think that will really suit it."
While Pattinson had been rumoured to be the new Batman for some time, it wasn't until May this year that Warner Bros officially confirmed that he would, indeed, be taking on the iconic role.
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But Pattinson said he found it stressful that the gossip had started before he'd even auditioned for the role, worried that it might put off the film company from working with him.
Speaking to Variety, he explained that he was on his way to the Cannes Film Festival when someone tipped off the press about his potential casting.
He said: "When that thing leaked, I was f***ing furious. Everyone was so upset. Everyone was panicking from my team. I sort of thought that had blown up the whole thing."
Pattinson continued: "I'd had Batman in my mind for a while. It's such an absurd thing to say. I sort of had an idea to do it, and I'd been prodding Matt [Reeves, who's down to direct the movie]. He didn't accept any prods. I kept asking to meet him."
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He added: "When I was a kid, it was the only outfit that I had."
The Batman has a release date of 25 June 2021, but in the meantime you can catch Pattinson in action in The Lighthouse from 31 January 2020 in the UK.
Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Robert Pattinson, Batman