How Christian Bale won the role of Batman

There have been many complaints about Christian Bale’s use of “gruffy Batman voice” throughout the most recent Batman trilogy, but that’s exactly what helped him land the role in the first place according to director Christopher Nolan. He auditioned for both the role of Batman as well as Bruce Wayne and the way that he handled them so differently impressed Nolan.

With the The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector’s Edition coming out on Tuesday, some behind-the-scenes footage will grab the attention of fans, including the screen test below. In it, Bale works opposite Amy Adams (who was apparently helping Nolan out and not auditioning for the role of Rachel) and brings the bat voice to life. It isn’t quite as coarse as the end result, but we can see the seeds of the voice already forming before he even landed the part.

In case you were curious about why his Batsuit looks familiar, it’s because it’s the one that Val Kilmer wore in Batman Forever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_LiaPHuxGM