Robert Pattinson Got the ‘Batman Nod’ From Christian Bale in the Most Awkward Place

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

• Robert Pattinson is the latest to star as the Caped Crusader in The Batman — following in the footsteps of Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck, and Christian Bale among others.
• In fact, Bale gave Pattinson some sage advice about the Batsuit in the most awkward place and his co-star Zoe Kravitz dubbed it the ‘Batman nod.’
• It’s not just stars of the DCEU who have bathroom issues wearing super hero suits — Marvel star Tom Holland has had issues of his own.

Robert Pattinson is the big screen’s newest Caped Crusader in director Matt Reeves’ The Batman. He follows a number of actors who have previously portrayed the superhero. Including Michael Keaton, George Clooney, and Ben Affleck, just to name a few.

Pattinson says he didn’t reach out to any of the previous Batman actors for advice before playing the role. But he did run into Christian Bale in an awkward place, which resulted in The Dark Knight trilogy star sharing some words of wisdom.

Robert Pattinson got a ‘Batman nod’ from Christian Bale in an awkward place

During Pattinson’s recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the comedian asked if he had sought advice from any of the previous Batman actors. The Twilight alum said he didn’t, but he received some helpful insight about playing the character from Bale when they randomly crossed paths in a restaurant bathroom.

“I was a bit scared to ask them anything, but I bumped into Christian Bale. [I was] next to him in a urinal and I guess it kind of inspired him to say, ‘The first thing you need to do in the batsuit is figure out a way to pee,'” Pattinson shared.

“So when I went to the costume department I was like, ‘First things first. I need a patch. I need a flap on the back.’ Easy access… I pee sitting down.”

During an interview with People Magazine, Pattinson told the bathroom story again to his co-star Zoe Kravitz (Selena Kyle/Catwoman). He explained they were peeing side-by-side when Bale told him not to forget a zipper in the Batman suit. A conversation Kravitz imagined as Bale giving Pattinson “the Batman nod.”

It isn’t just stars of ‘The Batman’ who have costume problems

Pattinson received some solid advice based on experience from Bale, who had no zippers on his Batman suit over the course of three films. But the superhero costume/bathroom conundrum doesn’t just appear on the set of DC films. Marvel stars have also shared how difficult it is to go to the bathroom in their costumes.

Tom Holland said on Live with Kelly and Ryan in 2017 that going to the bathroom is a “mission” when he’s in his Spider-Man costume because it covers his entire body.

“It looks amazing, [but it] feels terrible… going to the bathroom is a mission. You have to plan 45 minutes in advance,” Holland revealed.

The 25-year-old Brit was apparently jealous of his Spider-Man: No Way Home co-star Andrew Garfield because he had an important feature in his suit that Holland didn’t.

“Tom was jealous because I have little zippers in my suit that I can get my hands out of very easily,” Garfield told Variety. “To work his phone, he had to use his nose because he couldn’t access his hands.”

Robert Pattinson got in trouble for stealing socks from ‘The Batman’ set

In another bit of weird wardrobe news from The Batman set, Pattinson also admitted to getting in trouble for stealing dozens of pairs of socks.

During a virtual press conference to promote The Batman, the cast was asked if they had taken anything from the set. This led to Kravitz calling out Pattinson — “Rob took socks!” she said.

Pattinson admitted he got in trouble because he repeatedly stole socks from the production. “No, I do have a lot of them. They told me to stop stealing them,” the actor said.

Kravitz noted that it was “easy to leave with socks on.” But then she wondered if Pattinson had done it accidentally or on purpose.

“No, it was intentional. It was kind of…after a while, it was a 156-day shoot and they’re like ‘how…you have 156 pairs of socks. Like, what on Earth are you doing with them?’ Ya don’t wanna know!” Pattinson confessed.

The Batman is now playing in theaters.