George Clooney has weighed in on one of Hollywood’s most enduring debates: who was the best actor to wear the cape and cowl of Batman. In a recent Variety interview, the Hollywood heartthrob revisited his iconic — and controversial — turn as the Dark Knight in 1997’s Batman & Robin, delivering both humour and candid reflection on a role that has long divided fans.
@varietymagazine George Clooney jokingly defends his Bat-Nipples in the infamous #BatmanAndRobin ♬ original sound - Variety
Clooney, now in his early 60s, approached the topic with a blend of hilarious quipps and genuine behind-the-scenes insight. With a grin and a direct look into the camera, he delivered perhaps the most memorable line of the interview: “I was the best Batman and you know it. And I know it. And I don’t wanna hear anymore shit. All these other guys… You know Batman has nipples. He has nipples, dude. How do you think he feeds the children? The little bats?!”
The remark is deliberately absurd — and Clooney knows it. It plays into the long-standing jokes among the DC Comics community, where his portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman is often ranked way behind those of Michael Keaton (Batman, Batman Returns) and Christian Bale (Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy). Both Keaton and Bale are widely credited by fans and critics alike as defining the character in darker, more critically acclaimed entries in the franchise. Clooney’s performance, by contrast, came in a film that leaned heavily into spectacle and camp, and has since been the subject of heavy critic.
Despite the humour, Clooney didn’t shy away from acknowledging the difficulties he encountered while making Batman & Robin. “It was not a very fun shoot because of the suit. The suit is quite painful. And you couldn’t move,” he said, giving voice to a challenge that many actors in superhero films have echoed over the years. The bulky, rigid costume designs of the 1990s era made action sequences physically demanding, and Clooney has joked in the past about the discomfort of performing in the heavily padded attire.
He also recalled a specific on-set moment — shared in an accompanying video — that, in hindsight, signalled to him that the film might not land as a hit. “I should have realized it was not gonna be a hit right about then,” he said, with that trademark Clooney blend of self-deprecation and wry awareness.
Clooney’s Batman arrived in cinemas at a time when superhero movies were still evolving toward the darker, more grounded tone popularised by later franchises. Batman & Robin, directed by Joel Schumacher, was criticised on release for its bright colours, camp tone and heavy use of puns. Though it featured an all-star cast including Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze and Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl, the film was a commercial success but a critical disappointment, and it remains one of the most debated instalments in the broader Batman canon.
For Clooney, the experience is now a source of both humour and reflection. His career has since included acclaimed roles in Ocean’s Eleven, ER and Michael Clayton, and he remains one of Hollywood’s most respected actors.
Looking back, Clooney seems to embrace the conversation around his Batman with good humour and a sense of ownership, even if his version of the Caped Crusader remains polarising.
