Christopher Nolan made Cillian Murphy audition as Batman, even though the director knew he wouldn’t get the role - but there was a very good reason for the unconventional move.
Now, while it might not be the typical way to interview for a job, we all know the Irish actor did go on to star in The Dark Knight trilogy as the terrifying Scarecrow.
However, the 46-year-old actually did a screen test in the iconic Batsuit first, despite knowing he wouldn't get the role.
Advert
In a joint interview with Entertainment Weekly, both Nolan and Murphy reflected on Batman Begins - the flick which launched the superhero craze throughout the late noughties.
However, the Peaky Blinders star didn’t know that the 2005 film would inspire cinematic universes for both DC and Marvel.
In fact, he didn’t even think he was good enough to play Gotham’s caped crusader after seeing other actors’ auditions.
"It was clear to me from the beginning that I wasn't Batman material," Murphy admitted, adding: "It felt to me that it was correct and right that it should be Christian Bale for that part."
Despite this, Murphy was keen to audition for the Interstellar director after seeing his earlier films, such as Memento.
Ultimately, it resulted in the 28 Days Later star doing a screentest for Batman, which he said felt like a huge ‘buzz’ despite the fact he knew he wouldn’t be cast.
"But I remember the buzz of trying on the suit and being directed by you," Murphy confessed to Nolan, saying: "Those tests were high production values."
Though Nolan also didn’t feel the actor was right for the role, he was desperate to cast him in the film and gushed about how he ‘really wanted to get on set’ with Murphy.
Nolan even shot elaborate footage of Murphy on 35mm film on the set, in a bid to convince executives he should be in it.
"There was just an electric atmosphere in the crew when you started to perform. We did two scenes — there was a Bruce Wayne scene and a Batman scene — and I made sure that executives came down and watched what you were doing on set. Everybody was so excited by watching you perform," said the filmmaker, admitting he then turned to execs and said Murphy should play Scarecrow instead.
"I then said to them, 'Okay, Christian Bale is Batman, but what about Cillian to play Scarecrow?' there was no dissent," he said, revealing that the Irish star was cast purely on his screen test.
It was a big leap for the studio, who’d previously cast huge names such as Jack Nicholson, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Carrey as lead villains.
The gamble paid off as Murphy and Nolan went on to work together numerous times, with the actor being cast in the thriller Inception and more recently, the nuclear drama Oppenheimer.
Talk about making a bang!
Topics: Batman, Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, Celebrity, Film and TV, DC Comics
Katherine Sidnell