Why Ben Affleck Says Batsuit Was “Horrendous to Wear” During His Tenure as Batman
The actor played the Dark Knight in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,’ ‘Justice League’ and ‘The Flash.’
It’s safe to say Ben Affleck doesn’t miss stepping into his Batsuit.
The Oscar-winning actor, who played Batman in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2017’s Justice League and 2023’s The Flash, recently shared in a GQ video interview why the costume was “horrendous to wear.”
“I hated the Batsuits. The Batsuits are horrendous to wear,” he said. “They’re incredibly hot, for one thing. They don’t breathe. They’re made to look the way they want ‘em to look, and there’s no thought put into the human being.”
Affleck added that from the moment he slipped into the suit, “you just start sweating.” He continued, “Now I’m already — I sweat, you know what I mean? I get hot. And so in that thing, you would just be pouring water because it’s got the cowl over it. Like, there’s one thing to wear the suit, but once you cover your head, I guess that’s where all your heat kind of escapes and you feel it.”
The Accountant 2 actor-producer said that “even the most highly-trained, much more fit stunt guys, the parkour guys, the action guys” struggled in the Batsuit, adding, “They could do that for about like 45, 50 minutes and then they’re like gonna get heat stroke. So you had to come out of it.”
“That was really the thing was that it just made it difficult to make the movie because it was so hot,” he added.
Affleck said the challenges with the superhero costume “also does not make you feel very heroic because you’re instantly exhausted and really sweaty and kinda trying to hide like, the sweat pouring down your face. Like, ‘No, we can go again, I’m fine, I’m good.’ And then there’ll be like — eye black is like, running.”
The Air actor-producer suggested that Christian Bale (who starred in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy) and Robert Pattinson (who played the superhero in Matt Reeves’ The Batman) were maybe “just better at dealing with” the heat than him, but that he “found it to be the least fun part” of his experience playing Batman.
Volkswagen Plans Two Hybrids for the U.S. in the Next Few Years
VW Group of America’s CEO confirmed the brand will soon launch two hybrids, but said the company isn’t planning plug-in hybrid models.
While Volkswagen offers hybrid powertrains in other countries, the brand has been without a gas-electric model in the United States since the departure of the Jetta Hybrid after the 2016 model year. Earlier this year, Arno Antlitz, the CFO of the Volkswagen Group, said the brand aimed to bring plug-in hybrid models to the U.S. to bridge the gap to EVs. But during a roundtable interview at the New York auto show, Kjell Gruner, president and CEO of the Volkswagen Group of America, said that the brand’s hybrid plans will take a different approach.
Volkswagen still aims to launch hybrid models in the U.S., but Gruner revealed that while VW will launch two hybrids in the next few years, they will be traditional hybrids instead of those of the plug-in variety. “We believe for this market, with the consumers here, that full hybrids are the right solution,” Gruner said. While plug-in hybrids have some advantages, “it adds a lot of weight and also a lot of material cost” and there is a significantly bigger market for traditional hybrids.
Volkswagen also wants to manufacture these hybrids in North America. “It would be much faster, obviously, to import them from Europe,” Gruner explained. “But that’s not the solution we’re going for.” Gruner all but confirmed that the two hybrids will be the Tiguan and Atlas SUVs, saying the company will “choose from our volume models.”
The Atlas is currently built in Chattanooga, Tennessee, while the Tiguan is being assembled in Puebla, Mexico. A Tiguan hybrid will likely arrive first since the brand is launching the nameplate’s third generation this year. An Atlas hybrid could be at least a couple of years out, with a next-generation Atlas due soon.
