We’re only a few weeks away from meeting a new Dark Knight when Ben Affleck takes over the batsuit in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The general feeling among fans is Affleck’s got big bat-shoes to fill, considering the level of adoration for Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy starring Christian Bale.

Bale might not see it that way, though. When we talked to the Oscar-winning actor as he was promoting the new Terrence Malick drama, Knight of Cups, he sounded underwhelmed in his own work as Bruce Wayne.

“I didn’t quite manage what I hoped I would throughout the trilogy,” Bale told Yahoo Movies (watch above). “Chris did, but my own sense of self is like, ‘I didn’t quite nail it.’”

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His confidence wasn’t helped by his scene-stealing nemesis in 2008’s The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger, who won a posthumous Oscar (among various other trophies) for his off-the-rails portrayal of The Joker.

“Heath turned up, and just kind of completely ruined all my plans,” Bale said. 'Because I went, 'He’s so much more interesting than me and what I’m doing.’“

Look for our interview with Bale on Knight of Cups (in theaters Friday) later this week.