COMMENT

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Gordon finds a new protégé in policeman John Blake, whose devotion to the job impresses his boss. Emma Thomas says, “Gordon definitely sees something of himself as a young cop in John Blake. Everyone else seems to have lost focus because things have been so good, but Blake is the first to realize that something’s up, and Gordon recognizes those instincts by promoting him and putting him on his team.”

Describing his role, Joseph Gordon-Levitt says, “John Blake is the kind of guy who probably always wanted to be a cop and dedicates himself to being excellent at his job. He is someone who believes in what he does and I admire that in anybody. In the midst of a lot of cynicism, he remains proud to be a police officer.”

Nolan comments, “Commissioner Gordon and Bruce Wayne have become somewhat jaded, so we wanted to contrast that with a younger, more idealistic individual who, in a way, represents where they’ve come from. Joe really captured the strength and courage of a man who refuses to back down, regardless of the odds.”

Marion Cotillard

The character of Miranda Tate can also relate to Bruce, albeit from a place of affluence. Cast in the role, Marion Cotillard notes, “They both have a lot of money and are trying to use it in a good way, so they understand each other right away.”

Bale agrees. “Miranda is somebody who is encouraging Bruce to use his resources for the betterment of Gotham through an environmental project. She is beautiful, smart and altruistic, and all the good that she aspires to earns his respect and also intrigues him a great deal.”

Having collaborated with Nolan on his original drama “Inception,” Cotillard and Gordon-Levitt were both excited to reunite with the director on the finale of his Dark Knight trilogy. Gordon-Levitt says, “Amidst all the spectacle, I think the honest human dramas are what distinguish the way Chris approaches these movies. For an actor, that’s inspiring and a lot more fun.”

“I love working with Chris,” adds Cotillard. “He fosters a great feeling of family on the set, even on such a huge movie. And he has the intelligence and imagination to take you on an unbelievable adventure and make it something you believe. It was especially interesting to work with him to create the character of Miranda because she doesn’t exist in the comics.”

A member of the board of Wayne Enterprises, Miranda’s affluence makes her a vital ally to Bruce when the company becomes the target of a hostile takeover. On a more personal level, Nolan says, “She is looked at by Alfred and Lucius as a woman who could perhaps bring Bruce out of his own exile and remind him that there is more to life than sitting alone in the Batcave. Marion has an incredibly appealing presence with an exotic glamour. She brought a combination of warmth and wisdom to Miranda that provides a great sense of hope for Bruce.”

Morgan Freeman

Freeman again plays Wayne Enterprises’ brilliant inventor, Lucius Fox. “Although Lucius works for Bruce, he has been a mentor to him,” observes Freeman. “Compared to Lucius and Alfred, Bruce is still a relatively young man, so between the two of them, they try to keep his moral compass pointed in the right direction.”

Charles Roven offers, “Lucius has always been the brains behind the tools that Bruce uses to become Batman, and he fulfills that function once again. But he has also grown to have great fondness for Bruce and, like Alfred, he is trying to pull him out of the dark emotional place he’s been in.”

Inarguably, the person closest to Bruce is Alfred Pennyworth, who, Bale says, “has been the one constant throughout his life…the only family he has left. Alfred has seen him grow up, watched him become a man and seen the pain he’s gone through. He accepted Bruce’s need to honor his parents and try to right the wrongs of their deaths, but equally he recognizes that his parents would be desperately unhappy that he’s not living any kind of life. There’s always been that caution from Alfred that this is not the best thing for Bruce in the long run, and it comes to a head in this story.”

Nolan expounds, “When we first explored the relationship between Alfred and Bruce in ‘Batman Begins,’ it was immediately apparent to me that I only understood Alfred’s endorsement of Bruce’s extreme action in creating the Batman persona if there would be an end to it—if there was seen to be a time when Batman had acted as a catalyst to change Gotham and then Bruce could move on from that. In ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ we’re dealing with Alfred’s frustration that Bruce has not been able to extricate himself from being Batman. Even though he has no longer been going out every night wearing the cape and cowl, he clearly has not been able to put it behind him, and Alfred feels it’s his duty to help Bruce find a way to do that.”

Michael Caine Reprising the part of Alfred, Michael Caine remarks, “It hurts Alfred to tell Bruce that he knew there was nothing for him in Gotham City except pain and tragedy, but he was right. I was thinking that, in terms of the audience, Alfred represents us in this incredible world. He is our spokesman. He’s not tough like the others; he reacts like an ordinary human being in this situation.”

“What Michael has always brought to Alfred is tremendous heart,” Nolan says. “Watching Christian and Michael play out the unique relationship between these two characters has been one of the great joys of working on these films.”