Article by Eric Lee
A video has been released featuring Christian Bale’s Batman Screen Test for Batman Begins. The clip shows Bale auditioning, while wearing the sonar Bat-suit from Batman Forever. The actor runs through such iconic lines as, “I’m Batman” and “Swear to me”. For the record, his audition “Swear to me” voice is more of a low whispery growl than the full-on beast mode he used in the film.
In fact, it’s super fun seeing how Bale workshopped his Batman voice after the screen test. His voice in the audition is more like an aggressive Michael Keaton rasp. Of course, fans know that Bale ultimately used the infamous throaty, laryngitis-inducing growl as Batman.
Other Batman Actor Auditions
As a bonus, we also see Scarecrow actor Cillian Murphy’s screen test for Batman too. Murphy’s Batman voice has a slightly higher octave than Bale’s.
The screen test tapes also show Eion Bailey auditioning as Batman too. Bailey is most well-known for his roles in Band of Brothers and Fight Club. While Bailey’s Bruce was very jovial, his Batman is pretty underwhelming. It’s Bailey’s normal talking voice, he doesn’t even lower it.
Anne Hathaway as Catwoman
Additionally, you can also see Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle screen test. It’s pretty neat how the actress almost immediately nailed her Catwoman character. The voice, attitude, and even her movements are exactly what we see in her final The Dark Knight Rises performance.
Perhaps the most amusing part of Hathaway’s screen test is seeing her share a scene with, presumably, Christian Bale sporting a thick beard. What does Batman look like with a troll beard sticking out of the mouthpiece? Pure comedy gold.
Villain Lighting Tests
This video is packed with so many other goodies. You can also see lighting tests for Hathaway, Heath Ledger as the Joker, Tom Hardy’s Bane, and Liam Neeson as Ra’s Al Ghul.
Most intriguing is seeing the lighting/make-up test for Aaron Eckhart’s Two-Face. I always presumed that Two-Face’s burnt face was a purely digital creation, but it turns out that Eckhart had to wear a good deal of burn make-up, as well as tracking dots for the CGI effects.
This is such a cool find for fans of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. What did you think of Christian Bale’s Batman Screen Test? Let us know.