“He was very difficult to convince”: After Liam Neeson, Christopher Nolan Had to Beg Another Character to Join Christian Bale in His $2.4B Dark Knight Trilogy

If Christopher Nolan gives any actor a call to star in his film, it’s almost a guarantee that they will do anything to fulfill his request. After all, the stacked cast of his upcoming film Oppenheimer is a testament to this. But once upon a time, this wasn’t the case. When Nolan was making the Dark Knight films he had to beg several actors to play important roles in those movies.

It’s pretty well-known that Liam Neeson initially refused to play Ra’s al Ghul in Batman Begins, and tried to recommend other actors for the role. But Nolan was adamant and got him for the part. But he wasn’t the only big-name actor the acclaimed director had a hard time convincing to star in the film.

Christopher Nolan Barely Convinced Morgan Freeman To Star In His Batman Films

Morgan Freeman

Christopher Nolan admitted that when writing the role of Batman’s tech friend Lucius Fox in Batman Begins, he did something unexpected. The Memento director stated that he wrote the role with an actor in mind- Morgan Freeman, something he hadn’t done before because it could become limiting for him. Nolan said:
“To try to write characterization around an actor can be limiting, and I tried not to make it limiting. I wrote a part I hadn’t seen him (Morgan Freeman) play before. But I knew that I really wanted him in there, and I pursued him for many many months.” 

Morgan Freeman and Christopher Nolan

Getting Morgan Freeman for the role was difficult for the director and he had to pursue him for many months to convince him to star in the film. In fact, Nolan didn’t believe that the actor had signed on to play the part until he was on the set on the day of shooting. The Interstellar director said:
“Whatever he tells you now, he was very difficult to convince. I actually flew to Memphis to meet with him in person and really explain why the part needed him. And eventually, he said yes and turned up. I was quite relieved when he actually turned up to shoot because I had begun to believe it was never going to happen. But I managed to get him in the end.” 
Even though the Wanted actor initially wasn’t interested in the film, he came to love it so much that he was irked by Ben Affleck’s Batman casting.

Morgan Freeman Doesn’t Think Anyone Can Beat Christopher Nolan’s Batman Films

Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan

Who is the best Batman? The answer to that question will change depending on who you ask. For some it’s Christian Bale, for others it’s Ben Affleck, and the new dark knight- Robert Pattinson, has cultivated a serious following as well. But for Morgan Freeman, the only Batman is Christian Bale and the best Batman films are by Christopher Nolan.

Robert Pattinson in The Batman

The actor said when Ben Affleck’s casting was announced:
“You know, I’m happy for Ben [Affleck], but I don’t know how that’s gonna work. Because the ‘Dark Knight’ was almost ‘it.’ Pretty much ‘it.’ Did you see ‘Batman Begins?’ I don’t think you can beat that.”
The Batman debate is unending. But it’s undoubtedly true that Nolan’s Dark Knight films have set a standard that’s almost impossible to match for future Batman films. However, Matt Reeves’ film is off to a great start. So now it remains to be seen if his trilogy can rival that of Nolan’s