Christian Bale Thinks He Didn’t Nail Batman Role Because Heath Ledger Was ‘Much More Interesting’

Even if many agree that Christian Bale played the definitive version of Batman outside the comic books, the 42-year-old actor admitted that he wasn’t satisfied with his portrayal of Bruce Wayne. The Dark Trilogy films were lauded for their cinematography and the cast members’ performances.

Christian’s embodying of angst made him the “favorite Batman” of many viewers; but, for him, the performance of his late co-star Heath Ledger was more satisfying. He told Yahoo that he felt as if he “didn’t quite nail” the role.

“Batman, he’s this very, very dark, messed-up character. I found when I put on the suit I went, ‘I just feel like a bloody idiot if I don’t use this as a means to kind of [show] his true, monstrous self that he allows to come out in that moment.'”

He admits that he got distracted on set by Heath whose portrayal of the loathsome Joker also garnered critical acclaim. Heath’s performance also earned him a posthumous Oscar trophy for Best Supporting Actor in 2009.

“Heath turned up and just kind of completely ruined all my plans. I went, ‘He’s so much more interesting than me and what I’m doing.'”

Heath Ledger locked himself in a hotel room for a month to prepare for his role as the joker pic.twitter.com/uXfzA4tHzz

— Daily Facts (@NowYouKnowDaily) February 29, 2016

This March 25, viewers will see a new Batman as Ben Affleck gives life to the Caped Crusader’s character in the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Christian told Entertainment Tonight that based on the trailers, he’s definitely looking forward to Ben’s performance for he’ll bring his own element to the renowned franchise. When asked if he believes he’s the best Batman of all time, he said that it depends on “who you talk with.”

In 2014, Bale already opened up to Empire Magazine(via TIME) about his reaction when he heard that Ben would inherit the role that he played for seven years.

“I’ve got to admit initially, even though I felt that it was the right time to stop, there was always a bit of me going, ‘Oh go on… Let’s do another.’ So when I heard there was someone else doing it, there was a moment where I just stopped and stared into nothing for half an hour.”

He went on to say that despite his momentary jealousy, he reached out to Ben and offered him tips.

“But I’m 40, The fact that I’m jealous of someone else playing Batman… I think I should have gotten over it by now. I haven’t spoken with Ben, but I emailed him offering bits of advice that I learned the hard way. I would imagine he is doing everything he can to avoid anything that I did.”

Ben is reportedly so excited to do the film that he even helped in reworking his character’s script. Nonetheless, despite his fascination with his character, Ben is not yet ready to commit to a standalone Batman film because his current focus is on his other film, Live by Night. The movie, which also stars Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana, and Elle Fanning, was already delayed because of his commitment to the DC superhero franchise.

Behind-the-scenes with our all-star crew. #WhoWillWin #BatmanVSuperman pic.twitter.com/hPcSLd2jdA

— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) March 2, 2016

Meanwhile, it seems like Ben already impressed an audience with his Batman portrayal. Jennifer Garner’s ex-husband recently donned the infamous Batsuit for their son Samuel’s birthday. Garner told Extra that Sam wanted a “superhero party,” which his parents happily gave him.

“We all dressed up. I dressed up as a ninja, and Ben dressed up as Batman for Sam, which was the best dad moment in history. It was pretty sweet.”

Ben and Jennifer announced their split jut a day after their 10-year anniversary. The pair opted to remain amicable for the welfare of their three children, Violet, 10, Seraphina, 7, and Sam, 4.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for AFI]