Paul Dano reveals what it took to get The Riddler's costume right in 'The Batman'

Hint: It was headache-inducing.
 By 
Meera Navlakha
 on 
Paul Dano and Jimmy Fallon on the set of 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'.
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Paul Dano appeared on Jimmy Fallon last night, in anticipation of the big release of The Batman, Matt Reeve's rendition of the classic superhero film. On the show, Dano talks about getting the call for the role, the script that blew him away, and the intricacies of The Riddler's costume.

In the 2022 version of The Batman, Dano plays the villainous figure of The Riddler, but a modern, darker figure than previous Batman antagonists. So the costume reflects this. Gone is the green spanx and question-mark printed outfit associated with Jim Carrey in Batman Forever (1995). Instead, Dano dons an all-black ensemble, which he had to keep in place by sealing himself in cling wrap – so tightly that, on the first day of filming, the actor said he "started to see white and colors".

"I got home that night and I was probably googling 'brain swelling' in my bed," Dano says to a laughing audience. Thankfully, this was remedied the next day on set with some holes poked into the cling wrap.

"I might as well take this opportunity to offer a disclaimer out there to any Halloween costumers or cosplay fans out there – maybe skip the cling wrap," Dano said. Noted.

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Meera Navlakha

Meera is a journalist based between London and New York. Her work has been published in The New York Times, Vice, The Independent, Vogue India, W Magazine, and others. She was previously a Culture Reporter at Mashable. 


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