Actor Robert Pattinson said he lied to filmmaker Christopher Nolan to make it to the screen test for superhero film, The Batman.

In an interview to Irish Times, Pattinson recalled his attempt to sneak away from "Tenet" set for his "Batman" audition. He said that he cited "family emergency" for his absence from the sets of "Tenet", but the filmmaker was quick to figure out the truth, reports ew.com.

"It's funny because Chris is so secretive about everything to do with his movies," Pattinson said, adding: "And then I had to be really secretive about Batman stuff. So I had to lie to Chris about having to go for a screen test a" I said I had a family emergency. And as soon as I said 'it's a family emergency' he said: "You're doing the Batman audition, aren't you?'"

Nolan is known for putting his own spin on Batman with the "Dark Knight" trilogy.

Pattinson credits "Tenet" for helping him get in shape for the role of the caped crusader.

"When I'm running on screen I'm generally paired with John David (Washington) who is an ex-NFL player so it was the most unfair thing in the world. The maximum workout I do most of the time is a casual stroll. John David can run all day long. It was good that I ended up being pretty fit. But definitely, at the beginning, there were days I just could not walk afterwards," Pattinson said.

Nolan's "Tenet" has been described as "an action epic evolving from the world of international espionage". The second trailer of the film came with hints of 'inversion' versus time travel as a part of survival. The latest trailer of the action thriller gives a glimpse into the mission that the protagonist secret agents, essayed by Pattinson and Washington, embark on, in a time-bending mission to prevent World War III.

The support cast includes Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine, Dimple Kapadia, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Clemence Poesy. The film has been shot across seven countries -- India, the US, the UK, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, and Norway.