Both Bale and Hardy spoke with The Hollywood Reporter during "The Dark Knight Rises" red carpet premiere in New York City yesterday. His third time playing the titular vigilante, Bale reflected on his time under the cowl.
"I've been very proud that people have wanted to see more. You know, we made the first one and didn't really expect to make a second one. We hoped, and that happened, and we got to make a second one..."But each time, we'd always say to each other, 'Don't expect that you're going to make any more.' So it's really great that people have liked it so much and they've enjoyed our reinvention under the guidance of Chris. And it's sad to say goodbye but it feels like the right time."
Playing newcomer Bane, Tom Hardy said working with Bale was a delight. "He's wonderful, I love him. He's a proper, proper actor and I'd love to work with him again. Something where he can hear me and I can see what he's saying."
The mask worn by Hardy's Bane serves as the delivery system for Bane's steroid that's now inhaled, whereas in the comics it was taken intraveneously via a system of tubes. The mask was also a source of some discomfort for Hardy, who said, "It was hot and tight and a little bit claustrophic at times. But, you know, it was good fun. Most of the time."
The mask also served as a nuisance to fans, as it made Bane difficult to understand when he spoke in the first set of trailers, which was eventually fixed with some audio tweaking. THR describes Bane's voice in the film as "crystal-clear; booming; theatrical; worthy of a comic-book adversary."
Will we ever see Bale as the Bat again? Bale says he'd "be very skeptical about doing it. I'll never say never. What if Chris finds a great story that he decides that he wants ... well, I'm not sure that it's possible entirely. It's a tricky one to answer."
"The Dark Knight Rises" opens this Friday, July 20.
