Methacton Alumnus Appears in 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Joe Rittenhouse always had a passion for the performing arts.

A native of Lower Providence and a 2008 graduate of Methacton High School, Rittenhouse, 23, said he tried to stay involved with every school production. After graduation, he didn’t want to relinquish his passion, but recognized the reality of making acting a career.

“It’s very hard the way the economy is,” Rittenhouse said.

He went on to attend Washington College in Maryland, where he double-majored in Political Science and Drama.

Then, at the college’s fall 2009 convocation, he met Mark Bramble, who was receiving an honorary doctorate of arts.

Bramble is a theater director, author and producer, whose production of “42nd Street” won the Tony Award in 2001. At the convocation, Rittenhouse and fellow Washington College students performed various selections of Bramble’s work, including “Lullaby of Broadway” from “42nd Street”.

“I got to speak with him after,” Rittenhouse recalled. “He strongly encouraged me to pursue in something he thought I was good at.”

Later Bramble would give Rittenhouse a letter of recommendation, which helped convince Rittenhouse to switch majors, switch colleges and switch life goals.

Expecting some resistance to his decision, Rittenhouse was somewhat surprised at how well his family took the news.

“They were definitely supportive,” Rittenhouse said. “It wasn’t hard to convince them.”

“I encouraged his acting,” Jackie Rittenhouse, Joe’s mother and a Lower Providence resident, said.

Jackie Rittenhouse, who is also the president of the Lower Providence Volunteer Fire Company, said she knew it would be a good move for her son.

“When he went from poly-sci to acting, I supported it,” Jackie Rittenhouse said. “Because, that was his passion, and you should be happy as a parent.”

Starting over in Pittsburgh

By 2010, Rittenhouse transferred to the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. He is now entering his junior year, pursuing a bachelor’s of fine arts degree in Acting.

During his studies at Point Park, Rittenhouse said he understood that making a career out of performing arts isn’t about moving to Los Angeles and "being discovered."

“There’s a difference between talent and technique,” Rittenhouse said.

He said learning how to act takes a never-ending cycle of dedication, practice and respect for the craft.

“I am the first person to say that actors are not more important than anyone else," Rittenhouse said, adding that firefighters and police are important professions. “But, acting requires the discipline and dedication in getting to know their professions … You have to be able to be a totally different person or character for two hours on stage.”

His first stage appearance at Point Park University was in a production of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” in which he played Anne’s father, Otto Frank.

“I think it’s really neat to create life for a character who has only existed on paper,” Rittenhouse said.

The production, which took place in 2011, ran through June 15. Two showing times were scheduled that day, one at 2 p.m. and another at 8 p.m.

However, by 5 a.m. that morning, Rittenhouse was one of thousands of actors in line, waiting to audition for a role in a major motion picture.

The Cattle Call for “Magnus Rex”

“In the industry, it’s called a ‘Cattle Call,’” Rittenhouse explained about auditioning as and extra. “You stand in line, they take a picture, and you go away.”

He was auditioning to be in a movie called “Magnus Rex.” According to Rittenhouse, this title was a code name for the highly anticipated sequel to the 2008 movie “The Dark Knight.”

“We weren’t allowed to say ‘Batman’ on set,” Rittenhouse said.

After standing in line for hours, Rittenhouse submitted his resume, went through the process and rushed back to the Point Park University playhouse to perform.

Less than a month later, Rittenhouse was back home in Lower Providence.

On July 4, he was busy with family and looking for a summer job when he received an unexpected phone call.

“They said I was cast as a police officer for ‘Magnus Rex,’” Rittenhouse said. “I was a little confused, and I was like, ‘Oh, ‘Magnus Rex!’”

His official title with the movie production would be “Action Extra.”

Two days later, Rittenhouse returned to Pittsburgh for costume fittings.

On the Set of “The Dark Knight Rises”

Rittenhouse said he was a bit unnerved by the extensive measures taken to keep the production of “The Dark Knight Rises” a secret.

He was instructed to meet fellow cast members in a Pittsburgh parking lot, where a van picked them up, which seemed to drive around aimlessly for a few minutes before reaching the movie set, located in an unmarked warehouse.

Once there, Rittenhouse got to put on his first major movie costume.

“The second you put on a police uniform that said ‘Gotham City PD,’ that was really exciting,” Rittenhouse said.

Rittenhouse worked on set for a few weeks with approximately 60 other action extras. They rehearsed various scenes and fighting choreography. He credits putting his armed and unarmed combat training class at Point Park University on his resume for helping him land the role.

While on set, Rittenhouse met some of the movie’s stars, including Tom Hardy (Bane) and Matthew Modine (Deputy Commissioner Foley).

Rittenhouse also had a few fight scenes with Batman himself.

“I got to exchange a couple of words with Christian Bale, and that was the highlight of my day,” Rittenhouse said. “He was really impressive and very professional. [Bale] said, ‘Nice job,’ and patted everyone on the back. He is probably the most professional person I’ve met.”

And, while Rittenhouse downplays the fact that he can be seen in a major Hollywood movie, he said that the experience has been invaluable for his career in performing arts.

“I may be background, but that’s ok with me, because it’s a start,” Rittenhouse said. “It was an incredibly great learning experience.”

After “The Dark Knight Rises”

Despite Rittenhouse describing his role as mere “background, when the "Dark Knight Rises" premiered last month, his friends and classmates at Point Park University, as well as friends and family in Lower Providence were ecstatic for him.

“When we went to see the movie, I got up and yelled, ‘I know that guy,’ in the theater,” Jake Stinger, Lower Providence Volunteer Firefighter and Methacton school mate of Joe Rittenhouse, said. “We were excited and happy for him.”

“I got a lot of phone calls and texts after the midnight premier,” Rittenhouse said. “It gave me confidence.”

Rittenhouse said he is taking his experience on a professional movie set to heart, and is producing and acting in an independent film project with Point Park University alumni. He said making your own work and being ambitious is the key to being successful in the performing arts.

“The best advice you can give somebody is be ambitious and realistic,” Rittenhouse said, adding, “It’s not about how good you are, it’s really about how good of a person you are, and letting your ego take a back seat to be a professional.”