Alicia Silverstone played Batgirl in the 1997 movie Batman & Robin. The actor has admitted that the experience soured her love for acting for a long time. Not only did Alicia Silverstone receive a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress, but she was also body-shamed during the making of the film. The press gave her the derogatory nickname of ‘Fatgirl’. In an interview with The Guardian, Alicia Silverstone addressed the situation.
“They would make fun of my body when I was younger. It was hurtful but I knew they were wrong. I wasn’t confused. I knew that it was not right to make fun of someone’s body shape, that doesn’t seem like the right thing to be doing to a human.”
There were some factors of working on Batman & Robin that made her stop loving acting for a long time.
“There were working circumstances that were less than favorable in terms of how things went down. And no, I didn’t say ‘f*** you’ and come out like a warrior but I would just walk away and go, OK I know what that is and I’m done, I’m not going near that again… I stopped loving acting for a very long time.”
However, the actor has found her love again. She has even said that she would like another chance to don the Batgirl costume. She has stated that it was a role in a David Mamet play that made her rediscover her love.
“My body was just like, this is what I’m meant to do, I love it so much, I need to find a way to do both, to be able to be an actress and be an activist at the same time so that’s what I did,” she says.
These days Alicia Silverstone is pickier about the roles she takes on. She is also a committed activist and is the proud parent to her son Bear.