Paul Dano on similarities between Batman and the Riddler in new movie

The Batman star Paul Dano has teased similarities between his villain the Riddler and the caped crusader himself in director Matt Reeves’ new take on the popular DC superhero.

Robert Pattinson is making his debut as Batman in the hotly anticipated flick, which follows a young Bruce Wayne, two years into his career as Gotham’s crime-fighting vigilante detective.

The new movie leans away from the comic books and Jim Carrey’s green spandex wearing version of the antagonist, instead going down a far darker serial killer route for Edward Nashton, aka the Riddler.

However, the 37-year-old Bafta nominee has referenced the ‘two sides of trauma’ that the hero and villain represent, and how that is ‘the emotional seed from which everything else grew’.

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk about the challenges he faced in preparing for the intense role, Paul explained: ‘In some ways, the whole thing was a challenge. And that’s, I think, part of the part of the fun. Matt’s script was really powerful and really rich while being a Batman film.

‘The first conversation him and I had was about hero and villain and the two sides of trauma and how Batman is born of trauma in this film, [and] so maybe is the Riddler. So that’s really kind of the emotional seed from which everything else grew.’

Revealing the type of preparation he did, the actor shared how he also needed to be mindful when throwing himself into such dark inspiration for the role.

‘Matt had brought up the Zodiac Killer – so researching that stuff, it’s not light, even though this is Batman, and it was fun to do, but there were challenges to try to sort of let yourself go where you need to go.

‘But luckily, we had a great piece of material and you just kind of slowly dig your way there.’

Paul recently issued a warning to any fans keen to recreate his character’s ‘homegrown’ costume in the movie, telling them to ‘skip the cling wrap’ after his idea to demonstrate the ‘meticulous’ nature of his character, keen to avoid shedding evidence on a crime scene, somewhat backfired.

It turns out wrapping himself in cling film led to his ‘brain getting very tight’ as he was unable to sweat and reluctant to complain about his headache at the beginning of filming.

The There Will Be Blood star said on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon: ‘I got through day one without telling anybody, and I got home and I’m probably Googling ‘brain swelling’ in my bed.’

Luckily a quick fix spared the actor any further discomfort for the rest of the shoot.

He also enthused to Metro.co.uk, alongside co-star Jeffrey Wright, who plays Batman’s police ally Lieutenant Jim Gordon, over finally giving the film to the public as the duo praised the DC superhero’s passionate fanbase.

The Batman is out in cinemas on Friday, March 4.

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