Alicia Silverstone reveals why she didn’t enjoy working on Batman and Robin

Alicia Silverstone experienced difficulties filming Batman and Robin highlighted, she reflects, by weight shaming.

Batman and Robin isn’t anybody’s favorite Batman movie and would not make many top tens – very few, if any – especially after the rousing success and reception that Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy achieved, made necessary by Joel Schumacher’s disaster. 20-plus years later, the vitriol directed at it is fresher than its Rotten Tomatoes score (11% for those keeping track).

So it shouldn’t come as a shock it was a headache for its stars to work on the picture lead actor George Clooney declared the death knell of the franchise. One of those was none other than Alicia Silverstone, who played the Batgirl that was named Barbara, just not Gordon.

In an interview with The Guardian, Silverstone recalls Batman and Robin “definitely wasn’t my favorite filmmaking experience,” because of catty body shaming. Interviewers would ask about her bra size, the actress remembers. Also, paparazzi and tabloids called her “Fatgirl” repeatedly.

"“They would make fun of my body when I was younger… It was hurtful but I knew they were wrong.”"

Silverstone added she didn’t suffer any confusion about her image, rightly reinforcing “that it was not right to make fun of someone’s body shape.”

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Her experience as part of Batman and Robin left her with a low outlook on acting for some time. It wasn’t until she landed a part in a play by David Mamet that she rediscovered her love for the craft. Silverstone said acting is what she loves and feels she was “meant to do.” She revealed that theater is what really captures her focus and passion. “I hope to be doing theater until I’m dead,” she said.

Silverstone hasn’t given up on the movie business entirely, though. She stars in the new release Bad Therapy from director William Teitler (Jumanji, The Polar Express) about a couple who get more than they bargain for when they hire a marriage counselor. And it’s great to see her thriving on the big screen once more.

Hollywood hasn’t forgotten about Batgirl either. Barbara hasn’t been seen in live action on the big screen in decades but Warner Bros. reportedly is inclined to bring her into the DC Extended Universe with a solo film written by Birds of Prey screenwriter Christina Hodson. Details aren’t clear as of yet and the film has no release date.

Would you like to see Batgirl return to the silver screen someday? Let us know in the comments below!