Paul Dano has said that he listened to Nirvana to get into character as The Riddler for his performance in The Batman.
Taking particular inspiration from the grunge band’s “Something in the Way”, Dano said the 1991 track was “hugely important” to him.
Speaking to NME about using music to help his portrayal of the villain, Dano said: “In the script Matt had actually mentioned ‘Something In The Way’ by Nirvana. So that right there, that song, those words, that refrain, became hugely important to me.”
The There Will Be Blood actor added: “Nirvana became a part of that [character].”
Dano also said he took inspiration from Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”, an inspirational World War II song. Commenting on the use of the song in The Batman, he said: “There’s almost a sort of irony there. It’s this big, American horn sound, and The Riddler is playing on that.”
The 37-year-old is the second actor to portray The Riddler in a live action film. Jim Carrey played the villain in 1995’s Batman Forever.
The Batman, which stars Robert Pattinson in the titular role, is a reboot for the series following the relative commercial disappointment of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Directed by Matt Reeves, the film focusses on a younger Batman as he does battle with The Riddler and The Penguin. Also starring in the film is Zoe Kravitz, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell and Jeffrey Wright.
The Batman has so far received positive reviews including a four star review from The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey.
