There will always be debates over who the best live-action Batman was on the big screen, but, with apologies to Anne Hathaway and Zoë Kravitz, I’m not sure there’s any real argument over who the best on-screen Catwoman has been. It has to have been Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns.
Pfeiffer’s Catwoman was absolutely iconic, though her wearing a skintight body suit may have had a lot to do with that. One person who clearly loved Pfeiffer in Batman Returns was her co-star Danny DeVito. In the new Actors on Actors from Variety, DeVito talks with modern Penguin Colin Farrell, and he admits that he would go the extra mile if he knew he was sharing a scene with the actress. DeVito said…
I had Michelle Pfeiffer. I’m not comparing anything, but I’m just saying, she was a goddess. If I knew she was going to be in a scene that day. . . . I got all flushed. Put extra makeup on — ‘Give me another pound of makeup.’ It was very difficult.
Michelle Pfeiffer was only brought in to play Selena Kyle in Batman Returns after Annette Bening became pregnant and couldn’t play the role. Pfeffer went on to create the version of Catwoman that all others would be compared to. It is almost certainly one of the sexiest performances in any comic book movie. DeVito says he loved working with the iconic actress, and can’t help but mention the sex appeal element, saying…
Just so wonderful. And I lusted after her.
To be clear, DeVito isn’t talking about himself lusting after Michelle Pfeiffer here. He’s pointing out that lusting after Catwoman was part of his character, Oswald Cobblepot. Having said that, it doesn’t sound like the actor minded much. When asked by Colin Farrell how the actress might have felt about all this, DeVito thinks Michelle Pfeiffer enjoyed it all. He added...
I kind of feel like she liked it. She liked Oswald.
To be fair, everybody is lusting after Catwoman in Batman Returns, it’s very much intentional, as Selina Kyle uses her sex appeal to her advantage throughout the film. It’s a significant part of the movie, and also a significant part of the reason that many parents, and corporate sponsors, were upset with Batman Returns. It was seen as too mature regarding both sex and violence for a Batman movie, and led to the major realignment of tone that we would see under Joel Schumacher with Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.
Danny DeVito clearly loved making Batman Returns, and the rest of us still love watching it. It’s one of the best, if not the best, big-screen Batman adventures to date. That’s not entirely because Michelle Pfeiffer is so unforgettable, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.
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