Today we're entering the Batcave and exploring the real life love stories behind Gotham's favorite masked hero in celebration of the new Batman movie.
I am Sarah Wendell.
I'm Alisha Rai. And welcome to lovestruck daily, where we bring a love story to your headphones every day. I'm in love with love with you. Sarah, you remember when I told you about that New York Times quiz that 36 questions to fall in love? I do. Indeed. We did one of the questions. Yep. And and I'd like to continue this like I like this to be like a weekly thing where we do a question, because I just I really feel like you're my work wife now. So I do want to know you true. We did question one. We're on Question Two now into question two of the New York Times there diesel's questions to fall in love. Would you like to be famous? And in what way?
I'm going to sound like such a schmuck answering this question. But go for it in a very, very, very small community. And in a very, very micro way. I already am. And it is just the right amount of notoriety for me. You are famous in the romance community. I have been in romance conferences and standing in the lobby and had somebody get up from breakfast in the hotel restaurant, leave their bacon behind and come out because they heard my voice and they wanted to meet me and I was like, I cannot believe that you left bacon to come meet me. I'm honored. But in that particular community, I have a certain amount of notoriety. And that is exactly the right level. What about you? Would you like to be super uber? Free purses and shoes for life famous?
I mean, yes. If you put it like that. Yeah, obviously. Because I do like both those things. I know you're and free makeup. Like if I could have like a lifetime pass to Sephora or something where you just walk in and grab things. And then don't pay. That would be really cool, too. If anyone wants to send me free makeup, I'm all for it. But I think when I think about it, and I know this sounds weird, but I don't think I want to be so famous that people start to wish me ill. Yeah. Oh, yeah. And I do feel like you reach a level of fame where people want you to fail. Yeah, like they're looking for you to fail. And I think I think that's especially true when you're a woman of color. But I think like it is just true across the board. If you get to a certain level, or people stop loving you and they universally like delight or anticipate you going down which is like really dark. This is like a dark question.
It is a very dirty question, which is very fitting for this episode. And I think a lot of people find themselves in that situation. And they don't quite know what to do with it. And they, they don't necessarily have the tools to manage that fame. But we are talking about one person today who has a lot of tools. And
right transition they do. He has a lot of bat tools,
tools, bat tools, but also has two very separate distinct persona and they are famous in completely different ways. And they are not connected to each other publicly. So there's Playboy fame, and then there's superhero fame.
Yeah. And two different kinds of reactions. I guess you get definitely very interesting. I am not a huge Batman fan. Of course we're talking about Batman. I'm not what we are. Oh my God, we are I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I threw you off guard a little bit there. I'm not like I like I like movies, like I like superhero movies and stuff. But not to the extent of say like my fiance Kai. I think he's like really, really into them. So I actually asked him to sit in. He's going to talk with us today with Brandon Marino. Brandon is a pro wrestler and actor and most importantly, for our purposes, a lifelong Batman fan. He's here to share his love for Batman and dive into some Batman romances. Please welcome Brandon. Thank you so much for joining us today. Brandon. We're really excited to have you.
Thank you. I'm so excited to be here.
And we do have a special guest host fiancee Kai, who literally was just walking along behind me saw that you were a pro wrestler and a Batman fan. And was like, Oh wait, I have a lot of things to ask him. So we're gonna welcome him a little a little special guest host today as well.
And now we're best friends.
Yeah, might you might become best friends.
They absolutely love for best wrestling love Batman. So, dude, Brandon, you know you're meant to be best friends.
Yes, amazing.
This was this is truly a lovestruck moment Yeah, absolutely.
Tell us a little bit about your profession as a pro wrestler, and, most importantly, your your lifelong Batman fanaticism,
well, even pro wrestling kind of comes out of Batman. I was introduced at a very young age to Batman and became obsessed. And I got into martial arts when I was seven, with the ultimate goal, of course of being a superhero. And then as I got older, I realized I would need like a job and I wanted to use my martial arts. And so pro wrestling like superheroes, you fight people in tights with monikers and fancy costumes. And so I figured that was like naturally where to go. I did that for a few years, I was trained by a guy named Davey Richards. And I did a little training with Harley Race as well, who's a legend and I tore my ACL in a tryout match a Ring of Honor, and then in the meantime, got into acting right in time for them to make like, really, really awesome superhero movies. And so that's kind of been the goal ever since. My favorite character is Nightwing. He was the first robbing and then he grew up and got big boy pants and became his own superhero named Nightwing. And for the last five years, I've just kind of been on a on a crusade to play this character. And it's kind of been that's the were the thrust of my obsession lately.
So we talk about love, hear a lot and no matter relationships, is there anything like that you have taken from the lore of Batman? And I know Batman is a ladies man. Correct? Of course. Yes. Yes. Right. Like he he is good with the the relationships are not so good. Maybe not with the ladies, but not good with. Oh, okay. Well, those are two separate things into Yes. Like, is there anything that you've taken into relationships specifically, from from your love of the Batman comics,
I have taken him as something of a cautionary tale, actually, that man has an inability to let people in and to let people actually see him. And my therapist is gone along with my Batman delusion and uses Batman metaphors when we talk, talking about like, you know, you can take the mask off every once in a while you can put down the Batman armor every once in a while you can let people know Bruce Wayne a little bit. So that's kind of where in terms of the Batman that's in relationship. That's kind of where that where I try to keep that in mind.
Sometimes. Yes,
absolutely. It's very important.
I do love I do love the idea of therapists suddenly having an influx of like superhero, like with the explosion of Marvel and everything, of having to learn like all the superhero lore just to be like, you can put down the hammer sometimes and just move on.
You don't always need to be an Asgardian guy, you can just be a blonde person. Sometimes it's fine,
right? You can just be a handsome Australian enjoy beer once in a while. What about like, as far as Do you have a preference for Batman like that you ship with any particular love interest?
I mean, I would have to say Catwoman, they are the ultimate like, will they won't they they're two sides of the same coin. They both run into the night with pointed ears, one fights crime, one stops crime, they're completely drawn to each other, yet their lifestyle choices like they have a difficult time reconciling them. The Tom King is this really wonderful Batman writer who his run of Batman was originally planned to be this 100 issue kind of Odyssey exploring, can Batman be happy. And the entire thing is just the saga of Batman and Catwoman and then trying to find love within it.
It feels like with Batman similar all the heroes, they can never have a true they have a love interest, but they can never stay with that love interest. So is that something that draws you towards like the drama of that? Does that draw you towards like reading more comics about Batman about all the superheroes? It is
it is there is this like this journey with reading the comics for Batman or Nightwing in particular, where they have these like really wonderful love interest in these really lovely relationships that are sometimes established in the comics. And watching them kind of like the ebbs and flows of it. It can be really like a huge a huge draw, especially Nightwing in the past couple years have had, you know, you look at them and you're like this is this is a wholesome relationship. Like they support each other. They confide in each other. There used to be kind of a duplicitous thing and superhero media where it's like, oh, they can never know who I really am. And now it's a place of the other person does find out. It's like, okay, what do we learn here? Can we accept each other and that kind of thing, which I really I really love the story That's taken.
If you could give like Batman like relationship advice, you know, like, what would it be?
Oh, it's tricky because if you know he's led in the wrong the wrong people before and they've almost spelled doom for Gotham City, but uh, just try and open up a little trust a little b would be my recommendation. Take the mask off every once in a while. Yeah. I like that. Yeah, put away the battering is just go see a movie.
So we actually dug into some of our favorite Batman Batman. Batman that Batman. Batman
bats men batsman.
I think that's cannon. I think that's cannon
bats batsman. I don't think that's right. So let's let's you mentioned bat flack is your favorite Batman. So of course you you must know about Bennifer about Ben Affleck and JLo the great romance of our time. But I remember how wild and public her this relationship was. And I remember very vividly like the summer like it was like summertime and I was watching the Jenny from the block video. And I like this is like a core memory for me is watching this video that like frolicking around on a yacht, and days before their wedding ceremony in September 2003. They called it off due to excessive media attention, which is like they were I feel like they were recording a lot of that attention. But maybe it was also still really excessive. And their official breakup was in January 2004 JLo went on to marry Marc Anthony, who gave her two singer children. I believe they're both singers, while Ben moved on with Jennifer Gardner. And they've always been very kind to each other publicly since. And Jayla once said I think at different time a different thing. Who knows what could have happened, but there was genuine love there. And it is a different time. And it's a different thing. And in 2021 The couple have seen together again, for the first time since 2003. vacationing together in Big Sky and they confirm they're officially dating. I actually saw them. I think they were at the Super Bowl together. Right? They were Yeah, so that's like little Batman story. Yeah. Oh, Batfleck goes happy ending. Yeah, maybe well, no.
Fingers crossed,
fingers crossed. And then of course, I think that I think the greatest love story to come out and the most unexpected one out of like the Batman universe is probably Georgia in a mall. I like George Clooney is Batman. Batman. Did you like George as Batman?
I think with what he was given. He did a good job. Just because he's a fantastic artist. Yeah, the movie around him has a particular time in place. But it's it's he's not quite on my favorite list my favorites of the bats men.
Well, he describes himself as quote the worst Batman ever. So I feel like we are a lot kinder to him than he is probably to himself. He doesn't maybe consider himself the best Batman he does consider himself to have the best while he was a very infamous bachelor. He had no intentions of ever getting married. He met a mom who was a human rights lawyer briefly in Lake Como. And before she came over George Clooney, his agent called and said, I met this woman who's headed to your house and you're going to marry her. Oh, that's that's like a lot of pressure though. The two became pen pals and they kept in touch talking and emailing almost daily about their lives to each other after one short meeting, and they went on their official first date in London four months later, they got engaged less than a year after meeting he invited her over for a private home cooked dinner and hid the ring in the matches box. Oh, that would give me so much anxiety and PR their respective emos. The couple have never talked about marriage. So it was a complete surprise and he was on his knees waiting for an answer for 20 minutes. Whoa, wow. Syndication
is the rock Neva Neva pants
may have a fabulous but intimate wedding where it all started Italy tying the knot after just a year after their first date. Years later, when asked about his fame bachelorhood, he told The Hollywood Reporter sometimes in life, it doesn't happen to your schedule, but you find the person that you're always supposed to be with. That's how I feel. And I know that's how Amal feels. And I thought this was the best postscript to the story. He will not let her watch him in Batman. Wow, he really hates
this interview. She was teased. They asked him about it too. He did not want to promote it. Just didn't like it. Brandon,
are you excited for the new Robert Pattinson iteration of Batman?
I am so excited for emo Batman. Batman, if you haven't seen the Planet of the Apes movies that Matt Reeves did there. So like I landish premise super grounded and just like Full of heart and emotion, and I think he's gonna do the same thing here. I'm trying not to watch too much behind the scenes stuff, but the action looks very cool. Okay? Robert Pattinson is an agent of chaos and I can't wait to see what he does with the role. So excited.
That is the best description or Robert Pattinson is an agent of chaos. I love him. I think it's gonna be good I'm excited for like a younger Batman like to see what made him into
your three Batman when he's still bitter and angry by the world by his parents dying. Yeah, so it's like a form of revenge and you know,
our his parents dead. Oh,
I didn't know the parents guys little known fact. Boiler his parents died when he was young. Sorry. No, no. Sorry, guys.
Actually, I take it back. I think my favorite Batman is Lego Batman. i Yeah, Batman so much because I think he pokes so much fun at himself talking. I only use the black Legos.
It's such a love letter to everything Batman The the entire 80 years. There's like moss man is back there. The condiment King who's a real villain is in there. It's just is everything. Wait Is the condiment King a real villain? I had? Yes.
Oh my gosh. Brandon before before we sign off just one more question. So we just wanted to ask like what's, what's the biggest way that your love for Batman has impacted your life other than therapy?
Well, like I was kind of saying earlier, the the thing about Batman is that he doesn't give up and he doesn't quit kind of no matter the odds of the situation. He's always had a mission and then done everything he can to execute. So for me whether that was being the best martial artist, I could be becoming a professional wrestler, becoming an actor and trying to you know, play Nightwing and everything I do for that. It's that ethos has really driven my life. And it's gotten me through a lot.
Where can we follow along on your quest? To play Nightwing? Where can we find you on the internet
on my noble quest? Um, I can be found on any platform at the bat. Marino? The that's bat and they are I know,
great name. That is a great name. Thank you so much for joining us today, Brandon. We really appreciate it. It was so much fun.
Thank you so much for having me. This was really a blast. Sarah,
what a great conversation that was with two bad nerds.
I could listen to them nerd out at each other about Batman for literal hours.
I feel like they're gonna exchange phone numbers and like, go to Batman together.
I feel like that that should have Yeah, we've made a lovestruck connection
here. Yeah, I think we have. What is your love to go today? What is your little token to give people to take into their day.
I love what Brandon said about his therapy appointments, where his therapist recommended that he take his mask off now in terms of COVID Keep your mask on. But in terms of interpersonal relationships, be yourself. Take your mask off.
Oh, I love that. That's fantastic. Thank you. Yeah.
If you would like to email us with your bat love story, you can email us at lovestruck daily at Frolik dot media. If you have a bad love story to share or you have bad questions or bad thoughts, you can follow us on Instagram and Twitter at lovestruck daily. I bet there will be Batman pictures there too. Especially for this episode. Probably you can leave a review. You can subscribe. You can spread the word about our bat show. Thank you again for listening. Our researcher is Jesse Epstein. Our editor is Jen Jacobs. We are produced by Abigail steckler and little Scorpion studios and Gillian Davis with executive producer frolic media. This is an I Heart Radio Podcast. And for goodness sakes just ready with that I'm in love with you. I'm in love with you
