Matt Reeves Defends Eyeliner Make-Up in The Batman
It isn’t just for the emo effect
It’s been a long wait, but we’re very nearly ready to watch The Batman on the big screen. There’s a few things to be intrigued about when it comes to look of this Batman interpretation; one of which is Robert Pattinson’s look for Bruce Wayne.
We’re getting a younger Bruce this time around. He’s got longer hair and also the prominent look of dark eye make-up from when the billionaire-turned-vigilante has been out on the streets. This has proven to turn a few heads since it’s first appearance in the film’s debut trailer at DC Fandome in 2020.
Now, in an interview with Esquire, director Matt Reeves has addressed it’s use, considering it’s dismissal in most films:
You can’t wear a cowl and not wear that. All of the Batmen wear that. I just loved the idea of taking off [the mask] and under that there’s the sweating and the dripping and the whole theatricality of becoming this character.
This does fit well with the grungey, more grounded take on the caped crusader. It is worth noting that the make-up does get a little nod near the end of the universally-panned Batman & Robin. Hey, maybe that film did something interesting? For all of five seconds?
Reeves also went on to speak about how this take on Wayne was partly inspired by late Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain:
Early on, when I was writing, I started listening to Nirvana, and there was something about [Nevermind song] ‘Something in the Way’, which is in the first trailer, which is part of the voice of that character. When I considered, ‘How do you do Bruce Wayne in a way that hasn’t been seen before?’ I started thinking, ‘What if some tragedy happened [ie: Wayne sees his parents murdered] and this guy becomes so reclusive, we don’t know what he’s doing? Is this guy some kind of wayward, reckless, drug addict?’ And the truth is that he is a kind of drug addict. His drug is his addiction to this drive for revenge. He’s like a Batman Kurt Cobain.
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The Batman will feature Bruce Wayne’s second year crime fighting in Gotham City. From there, he’ll find himself up against a Zodiac killer-esque serial killer named The Riddler, who starts wreaking havoc across the city and leaves clues to how everything he does links with Gotham’s history and also the history of the Wayne family.
The movie will also feature Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler and Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin.
The Batman hits cinemas March 4, 2022.