One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about Robert Pattinson is that he seems to be somewhat neurotic about his body. Pleasantly neurotic, like a woman who tries the latest fad diet and gives it up after two days. Rob has always talked openly about how easily he gains weight, and how nervous he gets whenever he has to be shirtless for a movie. He was like that even when he was like 21-22 years old and arguably had better metabolism. Playing Batman comes with its own expectations about how fit you have to be, and for a while, it seemed like Rob was going to be crushed under the pressure to exercise regularly. He told GQ that he refused to work out because no one did that in the 1970s. He later claimed he was just joking, but I do wonder. At the New York premiere, People Magazine asked Rob about his fitness for the role and he was once again pleasantly neurotic about it all:

On going shirtless for Batman: “I had about three months before the movie started, and then you’re working out before and after work all the time.” As shoot days grew closer, Pattinson had to be careful about every single thing he was consuming. “You just cut down and cut down and cut down before the couple of scenes with your shirt off, and you’re counting sips of water.”

Knowing he had to go shirtless was a huge motivation: “Oh yeah. Shame is my biggest motivator, 100%.”

Putting on the Batsuit: “It’s funny because you read the script and you spend loads of time trying to figure out, ‘How can I play this character who does these sort of audacious acts?’ And the closer I got to the shoot I got more and more paranoid — you know, it feels ridiculous when you’re just sitting at home in a t-shirt — and then you put it on,” he said of the suit. “It’s got an elemental power to it.” Once it was on, Pattinson said, “People react to you differently, the crew reacts differently. Your entire world suddenly changes. And then you kind of catch this glimpse in like, the subtle reflection or a shadow on the floor and you realize that the character’s just way bigger than you. It’s kind of like wearing a crown or something.”

[From People]

I don’t know if he’s still like this, but when he was younger, he used to just eat whatever he wanted and drink a lot of beer and then he was shocked that he was slightly out of shape. I tend to believe he’s somewhat healthier these days, although who really knows. I 100% believe he’s a stress-eater, so counting sips of water must have been absolute hell for him. Also: Rob is actually pretty lucky, he has tall/lanky man privilege. He can gain some weight and it looks fine on his frame, and it doesn’t seem to go onto his face at all. I bet it’s easy for him to lose weight too, when he’s not stress-eating.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Robert Pattinson Attends the Special screening of The Batman on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022 at BFI IMAX .,Image: 664500224, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Julie Edwards. Local copyright law applies to all print & online usage. NUJ newspaper space rates apply. Magazines please call for rates. Flat 1, 15 Graham Road. Worthing. BN11 1TL. +44 (0)7961 790520, Model Release: no, Credit line: Julie Edwards / Avalon

Robert Pattinson Attends the Special screening of The Batman on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022 at BFI IMAX .,Image: 664501078, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Julie Edwards. Local copyright law applies to all print & online usage. NUJ newspaper space rates apply. Magazines please call for rates. Flat 1, 15 Graham Road. Worthing. BN11 1TL. +44 (0)7961 790520, Model Release: no, Credit line: Julie Edwards / Avalon

New York, NY – ‘The Batman’ premiere at Lincoln Center in New York City. Pictured: Robert Pattinson BACKGRID USA 1 MARCH 2022 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*

New York, NY – Celebrities attend The Batman Premiere at Lincoln Center in New York. Pictured: Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz BACKGRID USA 1 MARCH 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*

New York, NY – Celebrities attend The Batman Premiere at Lincoln Center in New York. Pictured: Robert Pattinson BACKGRID USA 1 MARCH 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / UK: +44 208 344 2007 / *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*