The Batmanstar Robert Pattinson has finally spoken out for the first time since his casting as the titular superhero in Matt Reeves' upcoming DC movie. Set to release in 2021, the movie will have no relation to the DCEU, featuring a standalone Batman story focusing on a younger Bruce Wayne.

When the news of Pattinson’s potential casting inThe Batmanfirst hit the web in May, it brought about some mixed reactions, with many criticizing the choice to cast the formerTwilightactor in such an important role. Speaking in a new interview,Robert Pattinsonreveals the backlash was in fact not as bad as he was expecting, so it doesn’t seem to have bothered him too much.

“To be honest, it was less vitriolic than I was expecting. It’s much more fun when you’re an underdog. There’s no expectation of you.”

Pattinson also opened up about his lifelong fandom ofthe Caped Crusader, joking that a Batman costume was the only outfit he had as a child. In the interview, Batman is referred to as the only superhero Pattinson always loved, noting he considers the character interesting because “he doesn’t have any superpowers.” Because of this appreciation for the classic comic book character, it was Pattinson who first approachedThe Batmandirector Matt Reeves about playing the role, admitting that it took a bit of campaigning to arrange their first meeting.

“I’d had Batman in my mind for a while. It’s such an absurd thing to say. I sort of had an idea to do it, and I’d been prodding Matt [Reeves]. He didn’t accept any prods. I kept asking to meet him.”

Of course, Reeves did end up relenting, meeting with Pattinson in Los Angeles after completing a finished draft of the screenplay. Pattinson showed up prepared with a “pad full of notes,” trying to imagine what Reeves had written because he hadn’t read the script. When word of their discussions leaked to the press soon after, Pattinson describes the ensuing media frenzy as “terrifying,” worrying the publicity would harm his chances in officially securing the role. Fortunately for the actor, negotiations continued, leading to the final stage of the audition process:trying on the actual Batsuit. For Pattinson, the moment was clearly one of the most surreal moments of his life.

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

As of now, Pattinson is the only actor to officially join the cast ofThe Batman. Many supervillains like theJoker, Riddler, Catwoman, Penguin, and Two-Face have all been rumored to appear in the movie as the Dark Knight’s adversaries, but nothing has been confirmed. Certainly, ifThe Batmanis a big success, we could be seeing many of them showing up in the inevitable sequels. Pattinson hasn’t yet committed to any potential follow-up, commenting he’s only focused on “about four scenes” of the upcoming movie. Given thatThe Batmanwon’t release until 2021, sequel talks are certainly premature, but they will inevitably happen if the movie decimates the box office.

We’ll all see how Pattinson does as the new Dark Knight whenThe Batmanhits theaters on July 31, 2025. In the meantime, Pattinson also can be seen starring alongside Willem Dafoe in the Robert Eggers movieThe Lighthouse, which premieres in theaters on June 15, 2025. you may read the rest of Pattinson’s interview atVariety.