In a press junket, Carrey sat down with UNILAD and was asked if he had any thoughts on Paul Dano’s version of The Riddler in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Carrey admits he hasn’t seen it, but calls it a “very dark version.” He adds, “I have mixed emotions about it. To each his own, I love [Paul Dano] as an actor, he’s a tremendous actor. I do worry—there’s a spot of worry in me about gaffer-taping and encouraging people to do the same, you know?” [There are] some sickos out there that might adopt that method.”
He continues, “I do have a conscience about the things that I choose and Robotnik has cartoon bombs and no one gets hurt, so I know there’s a place for it and I don’t want to criticize it. But it’s not my kind of thing. It’s well done, it’s very well done, those movies are very well done.”
While Dano’s Riddler opts for a combat mask and army jacket, hiding his face completely and being devoid of any Riddler-isms, Carrey’s Riddler was flamboyant, with an outfit that seems like it belongs on a kid taking jazzercize classes. How can you feel seriously threatened by a guy who looks like David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust era?
In a recent profile with The Hollywood Reporter, it’s noted that Dano is actually a big fan of Carrey’s Riddler, so while Carrey is hesitant to embrace the new, dark version, at least he can know that Dano still recognizes Carrey’s version of the villain as one of the best.
