Nicholas Hoult reflects on failed audition for The Batman

Whenever a new Batman movie is being produced, the role of Bruce Wayne is one of the most coveted in Hollywood.

On the big screen, the Caped Crusader has been portrayed by Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson.

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British actor Pattinson took on the role for The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves, which received critical acclaim and was a box office success.  He beat competition from Nicholas Hoult, Armie Hammer, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson among others to win the role of Bruce Wayne.

Hoult has reflected on his failed pursuit of the role, and although he remains disappointed at losing out, he believes Pattinson was the right choice.

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“I’m sure if you ask most people, they’ll tell you they’d want to portray that role," he told The Guardian.

"I think Matt Reeves’ ideas were fantastic and he made a brilliant movie. And I also think that Rob did an amazing job with the character, and I loved seeing him in it. So I don’t think I would have done as good a job as him ultimately. I don’t think I could have fit as well into the world that Matt created as Rob did.”

Pattinson and Reeves are both returning for The Batman Part II which is set for release in 2025.

Hoult bounces back from losing roles

Like most actors in Hollywood, Hoult has had to develop a thick skin in order to bounce back from losing out on roles. He has carved a great career for himself, combining performances in smaller productions like The Menu with big-budget epics like Mad Max: Fury Road and the X-Men franchise.

“When they tell you for the first time that it’s not you, it’s painful, but then you have to accept it as normality,” Hoult continued.

“I think that’s probably a strength of mine as an actor as well. I can accept that they didn’t cast me pretty well and when I see the chosen actor doing a great job, and I enjoy it, and it’s good, I’m like, ‘oh yeah, they made the right choice.'

"They knew what they were doing.’ So it’s not like I’m sitting there like, ‘Oh, I’m not going to watch it now.’ It’s a good movie and Rob is brilliant in it.”

Hoult recently also tried and failed to land the role of Superman.