Nicholas Hoult Recalls Hearing Robert Pattinson Was the New Batman Before His Audition: ‘Like, Give Me a Chance’

“It’s an emotional blow,” the actor, who is set to play Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s “Superman,” says of the lost opportunity

Nicholas Hoult (Getty Images)
Nicholas Hoult (Getty Images)

Nicholas Hoult said he heard on the radio that Robert Pattinson was cast as Batman in Matt Reeves’ comic book adaptation — even though he was set to do a test audition for the character the following weekend.

“I remember a week before we did the ‘Batman’ test, I was driving in my car and I had the radio on and they were talking on the radio about how Rob was going to be the new Batman,” Hoult shared during an appearance on the podcast “Happy Sad Confused With Josh Horowitz.” “And I was like, ‘It’s not confirmed yet! I’m auditioning next weekend … Like, give me a chance.’”

While he didn’t get to play Bruce Wayne, Hoult did nab the role of Superman’s enemy, LexCorp founder Lex Luthor, whom he will star as in James Gunn’s upcoming “Superman” movie. Nevertheless, Hoult said losing out on the opportunity to play the Dark Knight was emotionally taxing.

“Yeah, of course it’s an emotional blow, because your imagination doesn’t know. You’re aware on a practical level. You’re like, ‘I know that I’m auditioning against Rob. And Rob is fantastic in that movie. That was the right decision. But also, you get excited by the prospect,” Hoult explained. “Matt is a fantastic director, and the script and everything. I was like, this is going to be a cool movie and I want to be a part of it, and a brilliant character. There’s a weird period before you can get to the acceptance and see the movie and be like, that was the right choice. You go through the period of, ‘What could I have done different? Why not me?’ You run through all those things.”

He went on to share that when the chance came to play Luthor, he wasn’t apprehensive about going in for a another superhero audition. Hoult also highlighted how “weird” he feels it is that castings and auditions are so publicized today.

“I think under different circumstances, I would’ve been, because it’s a lot to put yourself through emotionally,” Hoult said. “It’s also weird now that this process has suddenly somewhat become public … There’s plenty of times that people go and audition for things and you never heard about it. You never know, and it’s like, that’s happening all the time, but now there’s this weird thing where it’s like, and it’s only public for people that care. Most people today don’t care about this stuff, but it feels weird … It’s one thing to have your failures, it’s another thing to have them publicly broadcast seemingly to everyone.”

Filming for “Superman” wrapped up earlier this summer. Gunn celebrated the feat in an Instagram post.

“And that’s a wrap. God bless our cast and crew whose commitment, creativity and hard work have brought this project to life,” Gunn wrote. “I set out to make a movie about a good man in a world that isn’t always so much. And the goodness and kindness and love I’ve encountered on a daily basis on the set has inspired me and thrust me forward when I felt too spent to move on my own. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It has been an honor. The destination has been Superman, but the journey has been the toil and the laughter and the emotions and ideas and magic we’ve shared together on set — and for that I am forever grateful.”

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