Robert Pattinson says he was joking about not working out for 'The Batman' and it's haunted him ever since

• Robert Pattinson clarified previous comments he made about not working out for "The Batman."
• Pattinson said that the quotes from his June/July 2020 GQ cover story "came back to haunt me."

Robert Pattinson said that he was joking about not getting into shape for his role as the titular character of Matt Reeves' "The Batman," and the comments have been following him since.

The actor previously drew attention when he was interviewed for a cover story for the June/July 2020 issue of GQ magazine. When the interview was conducted, production on "The Batman" had halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The "Twilight" alum, quarantined in London at the time, told GQ that working out for his superhero role wasn't a high-priority task.

GQ senior staff writer Zach Baron, who interviewed Pattinson, noted that the trainer hired by Warner Bros. to work with Pattinson gave him a Bosu ball and a weight — but the star hadn't utilized either item.

"I think if you're working out all the time, you're part of the problem," he said. "You set a precedent. No one was doing this in the '70s. Even James Dean — he wasn't exactly ripped."

"Literally, I'm just barely doing anything," Pattinson added, explaining that Zoë Kravitz, who plays Selina Kyle/Catwoman, had been working out five days per week while home.

In a new interview with MovieMaker, Pattinson reflected on his viral cover story and clarified his thoughts on fitness.

"That really came back to haunt me," the British actor said. "I just always think it's really embarrassing to talk about how you're working out."

He continued: "It's like an English thing. Unless you are in the most unbelievable shape, where people are just genuinely curious, going, 'How have you achieved, like, physical perfection?' or whatever."

Pattinson said that playing the Caped Crusader requires physicality and muscles.

"You're playing Batman. You have to work out," he said. "I think I was doing the interview when I was in lockdown, as well, in England. … I was in a lower gear of working out."

Pattinson likened the reaction to his workout comments to the time he famously told "Extra" that he "probably" hadn't washed his hair in weeks and doesn't "really see the point in washing your hair."

"It just sticks for 15 years," he said.

"The Batman," which stars Pattinson, Kravitz, and Paul Dano, hits theaters on March 4.