Chris O’Donnell says Alicia Silverstone is “the best,” and the Batgirl actress regards George Clooney as a “dream” to work with — but 1997’s Batman & Robin didn’t always feel like flying high.
O’Donnell has fond memories of first working with Silverstone on a photoshoot for GQ’s June 1995 issue.
“She hadn’t really broken yet, and we had a weekend with the whole team,” the 9-1-1: Nashville star tells Entertainment Weekly of shooting with Silverstone just months before the Crush and Aerosmith music video star would skyrocket to superstardom as Cher Horowitz in Clueless. “The photographers went down to the desert or something, and she was so young, but she was really fun and good energy, and I really liked her. It was a small world that years later we ended up being in Batman & Robin together.”
Silverstone was cast as Batgirl alongside Clooney as well as O’Donnell, who first appeared in 1995’s Batman Forever with Val Kilmer as the Dark Knight.
Warner Bros.
Alicia Silverstone, George Clooney, and Chris O’Donnell promoting ‘Batman & Robin’
Silverstone leaned on her costars to help her over the swift learning curve on her first action film.
“I remember a lot of things not making sense,” she says of filming Batman & Robin. “We would be in a big warehouse and there was so many extras and so much going on…. [George] 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,” the Irish Blood actress continues. “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.”
Christine Loss/Warner Bros.
Alicia Silverstone, George Clooney, and Chris O’Donnell in ‘Batman & Robin’
Then they had to actually shoot the scenes, though often they were working with only partial knowledge of what would eventually be established in the final version of the film by special effects.
“I remember we finally got the things on and we’re standing there on top of this platform in the warehouse, and I turned to Chris and George and I said, ‘What do we do?’ And they’re like, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out.’ I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ And then I hear over a big bullhorn, ‘Throw the thing!’ and I said, ‘Chris, throw what at what?’ He’s like, ‘Don’t worry about it, you’re overthinking it.’ It’s like, ‘What do you mean? We don’t even know what we’re throwing!’ because they added it all later.”
The cast navigated the chaos of filming only to enter a press tour that quickly turned sour as it became clear the movie was not well-received.
“All of a sudden, you were starting to get the feedback, and you realize it was just going sideways,” O’Donnell says. “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.”
Christine Loss/Warner Bros.
Chris O’Donnell and Alicia Silverstone in ‘Batman & Robin’
O’Donnell admits “it was a tough one for us to all do digest,” but feels “we were lucky to be in the movie, and it was fun to be a part of it. It is what it is. Some work out and some don’t.”
But both O’Donnell and Silverstone have felt the tide change over the years, as fans continue to celebrate the film (including at EW).
“Batgirl had a revival!” Silverstone says excitedly about her role, which won her a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress. “When it came out, I don’t think people liked it very much. But later on people told me it’s their favorite movie. [At least] all my gay friends. It’s very camp.”
So much so that the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures screened Batman & Robin in July as part of its “Summer of Camp!” series — a fact O’Donnell can’t seem to believe: “The Academy did?!” Yes. “Really?” Yep! “That seems so random. Were they trying to goof on George, or what?”
Warner Bros.
Chris O’Donnell and Alicia Silverstone in ‘Batman & Robin’
Despite his shock, O’Donnell acknowledges the film has its fans — including some who weren’t even born when it hit theaters.
“My son, we just took him to college, and we moved him into his room, and I walked in and he was wearing a Batman & Robin hat,” he shares. “I go, ‘What are you doing?!’ He’s like, ‘What? It’s one of my favorite hats.’ I go, ‘You’re out of your mind, he concludes with a laugh.
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And for all the “heartbreak” faced by the “hatred,” O’Donnell remains grateful for his time in those nipple-forward suits.
“The things I grew up playing with as a kid, I ended up doing in real life,” he marvels. “I still have the Batmobiles toys from when I was a kid. And I went as a fireman for Halloween,” he recalls, alluding to his new ABC first-responder drama. “I did all that stuff. And the fact that I’m 55 years old and I’m still doing this stuff is just a joke to me. But it’s what I do, and I love it. I’m very fortunate, and I hope I get to keep doing it for a long time.”
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