Emmy-winning actor Paul Dano, who plays opposite Robert Pattinson in The Batman, has recently discussed the stark contrast between his villain the Riddler and the Dark Knight.
In a chat with ComicBook, Dano explained how he got into character as the Riddler by focusing on the strange dynamic between his sinister big bad and the Caped Crusader. In his words, the dynamic between the two characters essentially boils down to “two sides of trauma.”
“Rob [Pattinson] and that suit and the image of Batman had a special place on my wall for most of that shoot, “[Playing] Bruce Wayne is a very different feeling. So from my point of view, pretty, pretty big difference. Matt Reeves and I initially spoke about hero and villain and the two sides of trauma. Because Batman is born of trauma from his parents’ death and he’s still wrestling with that, especially in this film, I think. And so maybe as The Riddler in this film, that’s the kind of core emotional seed from which everything else grows and I think that’s how you can find your way in. Then, unfortunately, it goes where it goes.”
In every Dark Knight story, there’s always that one villain who turns Bruce Wayne’s already traumatized life into an absolute living hell. Matt Reeves’ The Batman bestows that honour upon Riddler, who is usually a side villain in the canon, now elevated to a completely new status of terrifying menace in this reboot, in large thanks to Reeves and Peter Craig’s amazing screenplay and Dano’s exemplary performance.
Overall, it seems that Dano has received extremely positive reactions from fans for his portrayal of The Batman. Our own review of the film even applauded his performance by dubbing him “one of the most underrated talents in the business.”
Suffice to say, Matt Reeves has chosen his team well, whether we’re talking about Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne or all the colorful cast members who have helped bring this new take on Gotham City to life.
The Batman is currently playing in theaters around the world.