George Clooney Shares His Son’s Surprising Take on Batman & Robin
George Clooney recently introduced his son to the infamous 1997 film Batman & Robin. Despite the movie’s notorious reputation, Clooney’s son was thrilled by it. The actor opened up about the film’s impact on his career and its lasting legacy.
Like it or not, Batman & Robin from 1997 remains a defining chapter in George Clooney’s filmography. The movie, directed by Joel Schumacher, was widely panned at the time and is still remembered as one of the most criticized superhero films ever made. Clooney donned the iconic suit—complete with the infamous bat-nipples—and faced off against Gotham’s villains: Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze, and Robert Swenson as Bane.
Recently, Clooney decided it was time for his eight-year-old son Alexander, a huge fan of the Caped Crusader, to see his dad’s take on the legendary character. While promoting his Netflix project Jay Kelly, Clooney told W magazine about the experience. He explained,
“Halloween's a big holiday. My son went as Batman. He hadn't seen Batman yet. I always say to him, 'You know I was Batman.' He's always like, 'No.' I don't know that he knew how profound it was when he said I wasn't Batman.
A couple of weeks ago, I finally showed it to him. It wasn't great for grown-ups, but it's great for eight-year-olds, so he loved it. My daughter, meanwhile, went as a witch. She doesn't like all the princess stuff. She likes to be the evil witch.”
Cast Reflections and On-Set Memories
Clooney’s home screening comes after his Batman & Robin co-stars Chris O’Donnell (Robin) and Alicia Silverstone (Batgirl) reflected on their own experiences with the film. O’Donnell recalled,
“It is what it is. Some work out and some don't. All of a sudden, you were starting to get the feedback, and you realize it was just going sideways. There was so much hatred of the film when it came out. It was like, 'Oh my God.' And you want to do your job and promote the movie... I remember at one point [director] Joel Schumacher just threw up the flag. He's like, 'I'm out. I can't do it anymore.' He was so heartbroken and kind of bummed out about it.”
Silverstone, who rose to fame after starring in Aerosmith music videos, shared her own memories of the chaotic production.
“I remember a lot of things not making sense. We would be in a big warehouse and there was so many extras and so much going on.... [Clooney] really was like a big brother in those circumstances. So cool. He stood up for me and was reasonable when things were not. And to get the outfit on took so much time and energy. And once you had it on, you couldn't go to the bathroom for ages. These were not easy costumes. You had to put baby powder all over your body to get it on. The whole thing was a big production.”
How Batman & Robin Changed Clooney’s Career
Despite the film’s critical failure, Clooney credits Batman & Robin with changing the direction of his career. When he received the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, he was asked which project had the biggest impact on his professional life. He answered,
“It's really easy to pick: Batman & Robin. That's not a joke. Up until that moment, I was an actor only concerned with finding work. After the failure of that film creatively, I understood that I needed to take control of the films I made, not just the role. My next three films were Out of Sight, Three Kings, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?”