Michael Caine's Alfred brought a lot of emotional weight to The Dark Knight trilogy. Now, the veteran Oscar-winning actor has explained how he was convinced by Christopher Nolan to take on the iconic Batman role.
The Dark Knight trilogy became a critical and box office success (collectively grossing over $2.4 billion), and those Batman films are now regarded as one of the greatest trilogies in film history that also redefined the superhero genre. A large portion of the Dark Knight praise goes towards the performances and the talented actors who filled the roles. Out of all of the characters, there was one who became almost the heart and soul of the whole trilogy: Alfred.
In a Q&A with Variety, Caine opened up about the first time he met Nolan, and how the acclaimed director convinced him the role of Alfred would not be a forgettable one. After a simple knock on the door from Nolan, Cain recalled "standing there with a script in his hand and he said he was a director of movies. He said, 'Can I come in?' And he said to me, 'I want you to play the butler in 'Batman.' So, I said, 'The butler? What do I say, 'Dinner is served?' He said no, he was the godfather of Batman and it's a much bigger part." Caine said that was the first thing he remembered about Nolan.
And Nolan was right. Caine's Alfred became almost like a central character in the trilogy, having far more character depth than any past Alfred depictions. The father-figure role he had on Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne/Batman and the loyalty and mentorship he brought created some of the most emotional scenes in the trilogy that immediately became loved by fans. The character first made his leap from comic books to the big screen in Adam West's 1966 Batman, in which he was portrayed by Alan Napier. Alfred continued through Tim Burton's 1989 Batman and 1992 Batman Returns, this time with Michael Gough offering his take on the role. Following The Dark Knight trilogy, Jeremy Irons took over the role in DCEU universe, first appearing in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and now Andy Serkis will play the character in Matt Reeves' highly anticipated The Batman (separate from other DCEU films), which will make its way to theatres in 2022.
Caine added that playing Alfred was "absolutely fantastic" and that Nolan's expertise in filmmaking helped build and shape the role. "The thing about Nolan is you don't always know what's going on in the scene," Caine told Variety. "And you ask him, and he says, 'I'll tell you after you've done it.'" Batman Begins marked the start of a new film duo, as Caine has now been a part of every one of Nolan's unique, complex movies since.
Fans can catch Caine in Nolan's most recent film Tenet, a mind-bending espionage thriller that also stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Nolan, in the meantime, has stepped away from Batman and DC films altogether.
The Dark Knight trilogy is now available on HBO Max.
Source: Variety