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I’ve got a confession to make. I quite enjoyed Batman & Robin. Yes, I’m well aware that it pales in comparison to the other Batman movies - big time - and that this is largely nostalgia talking here, but apparently I went through a phase when the colorful and silly chaos of that movie really appealed to me. And even though I quickly grew up and out of that phase, I’m not about to trash those fond memories. 

Come Friday, April 17th, we’re launching a brand new episode of Collider Ladies Night with Alicia Silverstone in honor of her new release, Bad Therapy. A good chunk of the conversation focuses on that movie, but Ladies Night is also about digging through someone’s filmography in an effort to learn a little bit more about their experience and how they wound up having such a positive impact on the industry today. And, of course, part of that experience for Silverstone was working on Batman & Robin.

While the film did wind up getting her a Razzie for playing Barbara Wilson, Alfred Pennyworth’s (Michael Gough) niece, it also scored her a Kids' Choice Awards win for Favorite Movie Actress and you can bet this 90s Nickelodeon lover voted for her. With that on my mind, I had to ask if Silverstone has any fond memories from making the movie herself and if there’s anything in it that she’s still proud of today. Here’s what she said:

“I mean, I loved all my scenes with Michael Gough. Michael Gough is a dream and I just love that man so much. So, you know, just being with him was incredible and lovely.”

While it did require a brief think, Silverstone also added:

“I’m trying to think what else I’d be proud of. I mean, I like it when I get to do the fighting scenes with Uma Thurman. That’s fun. But I’d like to do it all over again as this woman! [Laughs] I think it would be much better now.”

Now that might be interesting! First off, you’ll hear about this a good deal in our full conversation, but I’m a big believer that Silverstone deserves more recognition for having a resume that’s down to the floor and loaded with such a wide variety of content. Let’s say a future DC movie did include Barbara Wilson and that Silverstone was still a good fit for the role; I’d like to bet she’d make the most of the opportunity. 

But, there’s also another interesting way you could spin this. Yes, convincing a studio to pour a hefty sum into a re-do this substantial is probably impossible, but the idea of giving the cast of a failed film a second try could be a very interesting storytelling experiment. Obviously there’d need to be some seriously re-writing involved for this, but giving the cast the chance to play around and make different choices could really be a fascinating and enlightening watch.