Marion Cotillard Says She "Screwed Up" Her Awkward Death Scene in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES - "I Didn't Nail That"

Academy Award winning actress Marion Cotillard (Big Fish, Inception) is opening up about her awkwardly staged death scene at the end of director Christopher Nolan‘s final Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises. Cotillard said in an interview with French outlet Les rencontres du Papotin (via Variety):

“I didn’t nail that scene. I didn’t find the right position. I didn’t find the right way… I was stressed. Sometimes it happens that you screw something up. So that, I screwed up.”

During the final act of the film, Cotillard’s character Talia al Ghul, the evil daughter of Batman Begins villain Ra’s al Ghul, is chased through Gotham and eventually killed by the Caped Crusader. In her final breath, she declares, “My father’s work is done.”

Cotillard’s awkward blocking during this moment has long been criticized by fans, with some saying it distracts from the otherwise heartwrenching scene.

Cotillard previously addressed the scene in a 2016 interview with Allociné, saying, “Sometimes there are failures, and when you see this on screen, you’re thinking: ‘Why? Why did they keep that take?’ But either you blame everyone or nobody.

“But I thought people overreacted because it was tough to be identified just with this scene. When I’m doing the best I can to find the authenticity in every character that I’m playing, it’s tough to be known just for this scene.”

I honestly never really picked up on this scene having weird blocking. I loved this movie, and Cotillard played the role masterfully. The film was a huge box office and critical success, so it couldn’t have hurt it too badly.

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is available to watch on HBO Max.