Dark Knight Trilogy Star Christian Bale Tells New Batman Robert Pattinson Not to Listen to Naysayers

Christian Bale, the actor known to many for playing Batman/Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, is currently promoting his upcoming film, Ford v Ferrari, which he’ll be starring in alongside Matt Damon. While making the press rounds, Bale has been asked on more than one occasion about Robert Pattinson being cast as the new Batman. Bale has only had positive things to say about the choice and recently shared some advice for the actor with Extra TV.

“Good for him. Just make it his own, don’t listen to the naysayers,” Bale shared. “That’s about it, everybody protested when Heath [Ledger] was cast as the Joker. Look what an absolutely brilliant performance he gave. Don’t listen to those guys, do his own thing. He’s a fascinating actor, he’s a great choice.”

This isn’t the first time Bale has been asked about Pattinson’s casting. Earlier this month, he said once again that he approved the choice.

“Oh, good. Good choice, he’s interesting,” Bale told Variety during the Toronto International Film Festival. “I’m sure he’ll come up with something interesting.”

When asked again if he had any advice, he said, “Oh, same as for Ben [Affleck]. Just be able to pee by yourself. You don’t feel much like a superhero when you can’t take a piss by yourself.”

Pattinson has already encountered troubles when stepping into a Batsuit for the first time: the star recalled needing a team of several people when getting suited during his final audition.

“It’s maybe the craziest thing I’ve ever done in terms of movie stuff,” Pattinson earlier told Variety. “I put it on. I remember saying to Matt [Reeves], ‘It does feel quite transformative!’ He was like, ‘I would hope it does! You’re literally in the Batsuit.’”

Despite the struggles familiar to both Bale and Affleck, Pattinson added the Batsuit makes you “feel very powerful immediately.”

“And it’s pretty astonishing, something that is incredibly difficult to get into, so the ritual of getting into it is pretty humiliating,” Pattinson admitted. “You’ve got five people trying to shove you into something. Once you’ve got it on, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I feel strong, I feel tough, even though I had to have someone squeezing my butt cheeks into the legs.’”

Ford v Ferrari will be released on November 15th, and The Batman is expected to hit theaters on June 25, 2021.