Uma Thurman memorably played Poison Ivy in the 1997 action sci-fi Batman & Robin. During her appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the actress reminisced about her iconic role and opened up about the film’s campy tone. When the host pointed out that her kids loved the OG superhero movie, Thurman responded, “It’s the one that was actually made for kids.” Ironically, this film was given a PG-13 rating before its release in 1997.
The Oscar-nominated actress shares details about her skin-tight Poison Ivy costume. “That costume was really difficult because it was all rubber,” she recalled. Comparing it to the worst pair of airplane tension hose, Thurman described the costume as “the worst kind of Spanx imaginable.”
Nevertheless, she had a great time shooting the film, “It was fun and creative. I get to have big weird horns on my head,” she added. Directed by Joel Schumacher, Batman & Robin follows the DC heroes as they “try to keep their relationship together while stopping Mister Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing Gotham City.” Let’s try,” according to the summary.
Although the film became iconic in pop culture due to its over-the-top look and was often used as Halloween costume inspiration, it ultimately received serious criticism. The film, starring Thurman, George Clooney as Batman, Chris O’Donnell as Robin, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mister Freeze, was intended to be a lighter version of the films directed by Tim Burton, but was not welcomed by audiences.
At the time, audiences saw the “bat nipples” costumes as anatomically similar to Greco-Roman statues. Despite Schumacher’s defense that the hero’s costumes were meant to add a classical element, audiences found them unnecessary and distracting. The irony is that this misguided approach became symbolic in a broader perspective.
During the interview, the Pulp Fiction actress also recalled her recent reunion with Batman & Robin co-star Schwarzenegger. They accidentally bump into each other, but their conversation turns into “complete bliss”. The latter posted a photo of the pair on X and wrote, “Freeze and Ivy, reunited. Be careful, Batman,” referring to his characters.
Later, Thurman posted the same photo on her Instagram in which the two of them were smiling and looking directly at the camera. “Frizz and Ivy together again – super tight and super cool in a hot world!”. she captioned it.
