The role Eiza González was “distraught” she didn’t get but still loved watching: “That whole process was shocking”
When you think of famous actors who got their start on Nickelodeon, your mind goes to the likes of Kenan Thompson, Keke Palmer, or Ariana Grande, and you might not immediately think of Eiza González.
The Mexican-born actor first rose to fame on Sueña conmigo, a Spanish-language telenovela produced by the kids TV juggernaut, and since then, she’s become a mainstay in Hollywood, appearing in a host of famous movies and TV shows definitely not aimed at children.
The young star has overcome a lot of hurdles in her life, both personal and professional, as when she claimed she was told she was “too hot” for a majority of roles, it led to the internet completely ripping her to pieces. While she didn’t specify which movies she missed out on for this reason, we do know that she was in the running for a part in The Batman.
González was in the mix to play Selina Kyle/Catwoman in Matt Reeves’ take on the ‘Caped Crusader’, alongside whom Zazie Beetz, Alicia Vikander, and Ana de Armas were all also vying for the gig, but González had the advantage of being a huge fan of the character already. As she explained to Comic Book, however, this just made her eventually rejection even harder.
“I was so excited when I was like, camera tested for The Batman,” she said, “That whole process was shocking, and I couldn’t believe it because I was especially such a huge fan of Catwoman. And in that moment, I was like, you know, distraught that I didn’t get it.”
This feeling probably didn’t go away when she saw the reviews as The Batman garnered rave reviews across the board. After the debacle that was Ben Affleck and the DCEU, critics hailed Robert Pattinson’s interpretation of the title character as a breath of fresh air.
The down-to-earth story and mystery elements were also praised, with many citing how it brought Batman back to his detective roots. If you want a counterargument, then I personally thought the movie was awful, being too long, too dark (literally, I couldn’t see most of what was happening), and way too serious for its own good, such that I hated every second of this dull slog. That should balance this article out a little.
The role of Catwoman was eventually played by Zoë Kravitz, her performance and chemistry with R-Patz among the most consistently praised parts of the film (I’ll keep my opinions to myself this time). Instead of being jealous of this success, González was just happy that the character was given the reverence she deserved. “I watched it, and I was like, ‘Wow’, I just like, loved it,” she confessed, “I loved her. I loved the role. I loved Zoë in it.”
Even after all this time, González has yet to commit to either Marvel or DC in the great superhero wars of the 21st century. Perhaps she’s still holding out for her dream role, or at least a chance to appear alongside her, and maybe she’ll finally get her chance when the long, long-gestating sequel is finally released.
