Some losses arrive in the ordinary course of a working life, delivered not by a letter or a meeting but through the radio of a car moving through Los Angeles. Nicholas Hoult learned that the role he had hoped to win was already leaning toward another actor, and he met that news with the honesty of someone who still wanted it badly. Years later, having accepted that Robert Pattinson was the right choice for Matt Reeves' Batman, he finds himself inside the same comic book world by a different door, a reminder that in the film business a closed gate often opens onto another road.
Nicholas Hoult Says Losing Batman to Robert Pattinson Was an 'Emotional Blow'
There's a weird period before you can get to the acceptance
Mark
Why does a story about a role he didn't get still matter?
Mimi
Because he's candid about the experience. He heard on the radio that Pattinson was the favorite, a week before his own test, and he says it hurt.
Mark
He also says Pattinson was the right choice. Isn't that a bit tidy?
Luke
It's his own account, and it's consistent with what he told GQ España earlier. But that's still Hoult describing his feelings. We can't verify the radio report or how the casting actually unfolded beyond what he says.
Mimi
What he describes is the gap between knowing it's right and feeling it, the stretch of asking why not me.
Mark
He links that to how casting news travels now.
Mimi
Yes. Contenders get reported in the trades in real time, so you can follow it while you wait.
Luke
That's his explanation for why it's hard. It's plausible, but it's his reading, not something the piece documents.
Mark
And Superman?
Mimi
Gunn and the studio knew he'd been through the Batman process and didn't want to put him through it again. He auditioned for Superman, then they realized Luthor might fit better.
Luke
Worth noting that's also Hoult's telling. We don't hear from Gunn here.
Mark
And the box office?
Mimi
$770 million worldwide, with a sequel set to start production next year.
Der Puls
- Hoult learned over the radio that Robert Pattinson was the favored Batman, just a week before his own audition, and the news hit like a blow.
- Casting rumors reported in the trades let an actor follow his own competition in public while still waiting for his chance, adding pressure to every day.
- Hoult wrestled with the questions of what he could have done differently and why not him, a private struggle before he could accept the outcome.
- The Batman earned $770 million worldwide, settling the argument in the studio's favor, and Hoult now heads toward Lex Luthor in Gunn's Superman, with the sequel moving into production next year.
Some losses arrive in the ordinary course of a working life, delivered not by a letter or a meeting but through the radio of a car moving through Los Angeles. Nicholas Hoult learned that the role he had hoped to win was already leaning toward another actor, and he met that news with the honesty of someone who still wanted it badly. Years later, having accepted that Robert Pattinson was the right choice for Matt Reeves' Batman, he finds himself inside the same comic book world by a different door, a reminder that in the film business a closed gate often opens onto another road.
Nicholas Hoult was driving through Los Angeles when the radio delivered news he was not ready for: Robert Pattinson was the top choice to play Batman in Matt Reeves' film. Hoult had an audition for the same part the following weekend. Nothing was official, yet he found himself arguing with the dashboard, insisting he still had a test coming and asking for a chance.
He later described the moment on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast and did not soften it. "Of course it's an emotional blow," he said. He understood he was competing with Pattinson, but hope does not wait for permission. He praised Reeves, admired the script, and called Batman a brilliant character he wanted to be part of.
Losing led him through a long stretch of questions about what he might have done differently and why it could not have been him. Eventually he reached acceptance, and now he calls Pattinson's performance fantastic and the decision correct. He also noted how public the process has become, with trade reports tracking contenders as they develop.
The film proved the studio right. "The Batman" drew strong reviews, earned $770 million worldwide, and a sequel begins production next year. Hoult found another way into the genre: he plays Lex Luthor in James Gunn's upcoming "Superman," after first auditioning for the title role. Gunn spared him from repeating the Batman process, and Hoult took that as a sign that the filmmakers valued him as an actor.
Nicholas Hoult was driving through Los Angeles when the radio told him something he was not ready to hear: Robert Pattinson was the top choice to play Batman in Matt Reeves' film. Hoult was due to audition for the same part the following weekend. Nothing had been confirmed, and he remembers arguing with the dashboard anyway, telling the radio he still had a test coming and asking for a chance.
Hoult described the episode on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast. He ended up losing the role to Pattinson, and he did not play it down. "Of course it's an emotional blow," he said. He knew on a practical level that he was auditioning against Pattinson, but he said a person gets excited by the prospect regardless. He pointed to Reeves as a fantastic director, praised the script, and called Batman a brilliant character he wanted to be part of.
He also described what comes after a loss like that. There is a stretch, he said, before you can accept the result and watch the finished film and recognize it as the right call. During that stretch you run through the questions: what could I have done differently, and why not me? He was generous about the outcome. Pattinson, he said, is fantastic in the movie, and the decision was the correct one.
Hoult said auditioning for a major comic book role is a lot to put yourself through emotionally. Part of the reason, in his telling, is that casting rumors and the names of contenders are now reported in the trades as they develop, so an actor can follow his own competition in public while still waiting for his turn.
The film itself bore out the studio's choice. With Reeves directing and Pattinson in the lead, "The Batman" drew strong reviews and earned $770 million at the worldwide box office. Variety film critic Owen Gleiberman ranked it the third best movie of 2022. A sequel is set to begin production next year.
Hoult has since found his way into the same genre by another route. He plays Lex Luthor in James Gunn's upcoming "Superman." He first auditioned for the title role, and he and Gunn then concluded that the iconic villain might suit him better. Hoult credited Gunn with making the process smooth. He said he was excited by what Gunn was building at DC, and that because the filmmakers knew he had already been through the Batman process, they did not want him to have to repeat it. He called that very kind, and he took from it a message that they liked him as an actor and wanted him in that world.
His view of Pattinson's performance is not new. Hoult previously told GQ España that Pattinson "did an amazing job" in the film. He added that he did not think he would have done as good a job, and that he could not have fit into the world Reeves created as well as Pattinson did.
The Batman sequel moves toward production next year, and Hoult's next large comic book part is Lex Luthor in Gunn's "Superman."
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Of course it's an emotional blow.— Nicholas Hoult, on losing Batman, on the Happy Sad Confused podcast
Pattinson did an amazing job, and Hoult doesn't think he could have fit into Reeves' world as well.— Nicholas Hoult, previously to GQ España (paraphrased)
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