Batman and Robin actor Alicia Silverstone said George Clooney was like a “big brother” to her on set and “stood up for her”.
The Clueless star was just 20 years old when she was cast as Barbara Wilson, aka Batgirl, in the 1997 film, widely regarded as the worst Batman film ever.
George Clooney starred as the Caped Crusader in the Joel Schumacher outing that became infamous for its garish outfits and terrible puns.
“When it came out, I don’t think people liked it very much,” Silverstone told Entertainment Weekly. “But later on people told me it’s their favourite movie. [At least] all my gay friends. It’s very camp.”
Silverstone added that the outfits that she, Clooney and Robin actor Chris O’Donnell wore were “not easy” because they couldn’t go to the bathroom once they had them on.
However, she says that Clooney was a “dream” to work with and looked after her. “He really was like a big brother in those circumstances,” Silverstone said. “So cool. He stood up for me and was reasonable when things were not.”
Clooney, who was still a rising star in Hollywood at the time, previously said of the project: “I think we might have killed the franchise.” He also called it “a waste of money”.
In a 2020 interview with The Guardian, Clooney was asked what he would do differently if he could live his life again.
“Now, the obvious answer to your question would be to joke, Batman & Robin,” he said. “And I wouldn’t do it at all.” Adding that the movie was an important lesson, he said: “I learned that if you’re gonna be held responsible for a film, instead of just being an actor in that film, you’d better pick better films.”
Up until that point, the lightest iteration of Batman that people had seen on the big screen was Adam West’s colourful take on the hero during the 1960s.
Tim Burton then revived the character in two movies starring Michael Keaton in 1989 and 1992, respectively, which had a considerably darker approach. Joel Schumacher then took the reins in 1995 with Batman Forever and played up the more absurd nature of the hero.
However, the silliness of Batman & Robin, also starring Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzenegger, proved the final straw for many fans. The character wouldn’t be the subject of a film again until 2005, when Christopher Nolan made Batman Begins.
