When most people think of George Clooney, his more serious and bankable roles often come to mind. Yet there's one film that seems to tarnish George's illustrious reputation ever so slightly: 1997's 'Batman & Robin.'
If he were a lesser star, the film could have completely destroyed Clooney's career. Luckily, by that time, George was on his way up, and Batman had become something of a blip on his acting radar. After roles like Danny Ocean in the 'Ocean's Eleven' franchise, people pretty much forgot about 'Batman.' At least, most people did.
As it turns out, George himself hasn't forgotten about the role, and he had an interesting perspective to share when he was asked whether he regretted the gig.
What Does George Clooney Say About 'Batman & Robin' Now?
Though it's been a long time since Clooney portrayed Batman with Chris O'Donnell as Robin, it's worth noting that the entire cast was pretty epic by today's standards. The crew included Alicia Silverstone, who was heavily criticized for her role in the film as well.
Also on the roster were celebs like Arnold Schwarzenegger (but everyone forgives him for everything, right?), Uma Thurman, Vivica A. Fox, and even seemingly timeless British actor Michael Gough.
Anyway, George, being one of the biggest names out there now, often gets asked about the film in practically every interview. When he was recently interviewed at a screening for one of his films ('The Tender Bar'), George was again asked about playing Bruce Wayne.
His response was something of a joke; he said he had destroyed the franchise and wasn't surprised that he hadn't been invited to "reprise Batman in 'The Flash.'" What's more, George stated that he wants his wife Amal to "have some respect" for him, so he won't let her watch 'Batman & Robin.' Sure sounds like he's embarrassed, but does George really regret the movie? After all, he told Ben Affleck to avoid the franchise, right?
Does George Clooney Regret 'Batman & Robin'?
In an earlier interview, George didn't joke so much about his role as Batman. Instead, years earlier, he noted that post-Batman, he understood that he was "responsible" for more than just his performance.
It was then he decided he'd pursue projects with better scripts, because "you can't make a good film out of a bad script." And when Redditors asked George about his regrets around the same time, he elaborated that he didn't really regret the movie because of the experience had with it.
George's full response included the note that, "Some of the best films have been the least fun experiences and some of the worst, I’ve made lifelong friends out of it. It’s the kind of thing where the memory of the film is very different than how it was reviewed."
That doesn't sound like full-on regret, fortunately!