Uma Thurman has defended her sole outing in a Batman movie to date saying that the much-derided Batman & Robin “was actually made for children”.
Thurman played supervillain Poison Ivy in the 1997 film by Joel Schumacher, which is often cited by fans as being the worst outing for the Caped Crusader on the big screen ever due to its campy and overly comedic tones
George Clooney, who plays Batman in the movie, said in December 2023 that there aren’t “enough drugs in the world” to convince him to play the character again, despite making a brief cameo as the DC superhero in The Flash.
Speaking on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the singer said that: “My kids are obsessed with Batman & Robin. They love Poison Ivy.” The Kill Bill star replied by saying: “It’s the one that was actually made for children.”
Up until that point, the lightest iteration of Batman that people had seen on the big screen was Adam West’s colourful take on the hero during the 1960s.
Tim Burton then revived the character in two movies fronted by Michael Keaton, in 1989 and 1992 respectively, which had a considerably darker approach. Joel Schumacher then took the reigns in 1995 with Batman Forever and played up the more absurd nature of the hero.
However, the silliness of Batman & Robin, also starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alicia Silverstone and Chris O’Donnell proved the final straw for many fans. The character wouldn’t be the subject of a film again until 2005, when Christopher Nolan made Batman Begins.
The film came up in the conversation between Thurman and Clarkson during a Halloween costume discussion, with the pair going through some of the 54-year-old’s more iconic characters and their outfits.
Speaking of the Poison Ivy jumpsuit, 54-year-old Thurman said that it was “really difficult actually. Because it was all rubber, and we had to pull it on, like imagine the worst pair of airplane tension hose you ever got into in your life”.
“It was the original, the meanest sort of Spanx imaginable,” Thurman added. “But it was fun and creative!”
Recently, Schwarzenegger, 77, posted a candid selfie of himself and Thurman on Instagram where the two appeared to be in a restaurant together. The action movie legend then wrote in the caption: “Freeze and Ivy, reunited. Watch out, Batman.”
Thurman also shared the picture and made a similar reference, writing: “Freeze and Ivy back together again – super tight and super cool in a warming world!”
