'Christian Charles Philip Bale' (also known professionally as 'Christian Morgan Bale'; born
30 January,
1974) is a
Welsh-born
English[2][3] method actor who is known for his roles in the films ''
American Psycho'', ''
Shaft'', ''
Equilibrium'', ''
The Machinist'', ''
Batman Begins'' and ''
The Prestige'', among others. Bale is also known for his versatility as an actor, including mimicking nearly any
English-language-based
accent, harsh regimens of shedding and gaining weight (particularly for ''
The Machinist'', ''
Batman Begins'' and, most recently, ''
Rescue Dawn''), and generally inhabiting the characters he plays. Before he found success in playing
Batman, he was heavily involved in
independent films.
Bale first caught the public eye when he was cast in the starring role of
Steven Spielberg's ''
Empire of the Sun'' at the age of 13, playing a British boy who becomes separated from his parents and subsequently finds himself in a
Japanese internment camp during
World War II. Since then, he has portrayed a wide range of characters. Bale is especially noted for his
cult following. The tenth anniversary issue of ''
Entertainment Weekly'' hailed him as one of the "Top 8 Most Powerful Cult Figures of the Past Decade," citing his impressive cult status on the
Internet.
[4] In a 2007 poll of
IMDb users, he was voted their favorite actor who is under 40.
[5] ''Entertainment Weekly'' also called Bale one of the "Most Creative People in Entertainment," after his performance in ''
American Psycho''.
Early life
Christian Bale was born in
Haverfordwest,
Pembrokeshire,
Wales. He is the youngest of four children. His parents are
entrepreneur, commercial pilot and talent manager
David Bale and
circus clown and performer Jenny James, both
English.
[6] Bale spent his childhood in several countries, including the
United Kingdom,
Portugal, and the
United States.
[7]
He lived in a house boat for a small amount of time.
In 1976, when Christian was two years old, the Bale family left Wales. Bale's family settled for four years in
Bournemouth, where he attended
Bournemouth School and participated actively in
rugby.
7 Christian has described his childhood, with respect to his mother being in the circus, as interesting. He recalled his first kiss was with an
acrobat named Barta.
7 As a child, he trained in
ballet and on
guitar.
7 His sister Louise's work in theatre also influenced his decision to become an actor.
7 David Bale was very supportive of Christian’s acting. He resigned from his job as a commercial pilot to travel and manage Christian's burgeoning career.
Bale’s first foray into acting was a
Lenor, or Downey,
commercial in 1982, when he was eight years old.
[8] He appeared in a ''
Pac-Man''
cereal commercial playing a child
rock star a year later.
[9] In 1984, he made his stage debut in the
West End play ''The Nerd'', opposite
Rowan Atkinson.
[10]
Career
Early Work
He made his film debut as
Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich of Russia in the made-for-television film ''Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna'' in 1986, which was followed by leading roles in the miniseries ''Heart of the Country'' and the fantasy adventure ''
Mio in the Land of Faraway'', in which he appeared for the first time with
Christopher Lee.
In 1987,
Amy Irving, his co-star in ''Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna'', recommended Bale to her then-husband,
Steven Spielberg, for a role in ''
Empire of the Sun'', adapted from the
J.G. Ballard semi-autobiography.
7 Bale's performance as Jim Graham earned him widespread critical praise and the first ever "Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor" award from the
National Board of Review of Motion Pictures; the Board created the award especially for him. The attention the press and his schoolmates lavished upon him after this took a toll on Bale, and he contemplated giving up acting until
Kenneth Branagh approached him and persuaded him to appear in ''
Henry V'' in 1989. In 1990 he played the role of Jim Hawkins in 'Treasure Island', based on Robert Louis Stevenson's book 'Treasure Island', in which Charles Heston played the role of Long John Silver.
In 1992, Bale starred as Jack Kelly in the Disney musical ''
Newsies'', and followed it up in 1993 with another Disney release, ''
Swing Kids'', a movie about teenagers who secretly listened to forbidden
jazz during the rise of
Nazi Germany. In 1994 Bale was handpicked by
Winona Ryder to star in
Gillian Armstrong's version of
Louisa May Alcott's ''
Little Women''. In 1995. Bale provided the voice for Thomas, a young compatriot of Captain John Smith, in Disney's ''
Pocahontas''. In 1997, Bale played the lead in
Todd Haynes' tribute to
glam rock, ''
Velvet Goldmine''. In 1999, Bale contributed to an all-star cast, including
Kevin Kline,
Michelle Pfeiffer,
Stanley Tucci, and
Rupert Everett (among others) in an updated version of Shakespeare's ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream''.
2000-2001
In 1999, Bale prepared to undertake what would arguably be his most acclaimed role, as
serial killer Patrick Bateman in ''
American Psycho''. Director
Mary Harron, who had previously helmed the
Valerie Solanas biopic ''
I Shot Andy Warhol'', was given the reins to the adaptation of
Bret Easton Ellis’ controversial
novel, but dropped out of the project when she learned
Leonardo DiCaprio was set to star instead of Bale, her first choice. Harron cited budget concerns, believing DiCaprio to be too expensive for the production.
Oliver Stone replaced Harron as director, but when DiCaprio abandoned the project for ''
The Beach'', Stone left as well, and a pregnant Harron
[11] was contracted once more, this time with her wish for Bale to star granted. Bale had never read the novel before being contacted about the film, but took on the role because he was surprised and engaged by the
script, which he described as “the opposite of anything I’d ever done before.”
Harron’s decision to cast Bale lay in that she thought he resembled a male
Lili Taylor “in the sense that there was a lot below the surface,” and that “he had a sense of mystery and depth in his face.”
The film diverged from the novel in some instances, but was generally faithful. Bateman was, on the outward, a
stereotypical yuppie, but underneath the public image he had created for himself he was actually a murderous
psychopath. Bale researched Bateman by studying the novel.
He prepared himself physically for the role by spending months
tanning and
exercising rigorously in order to achieve Bateman’s
Olympian physique,
[12] even going so far as to distance himself from the cast and crew in order to preserve the darker side of Bateman’s character.
[13] ''American Psycho'' premiered at the
2000 Sundance Film Festival to much controversy. Famed American critic
Roger Ebert seemed to condemn the film at first, calling it
pornography”
[14] and “the most loathed film at Sundance,”
but gave it a favorable review, writing that Harron “transformed a novel about bloodlust into a movie about men’s vanity.” Of Bale’s performance, he wrote, “Christian Bale is heroic in the way he allows the character to leap joyfully into despicability; there is no instinct for self-preservation here, and that is one mark of a good actor.”
[15]
On
April 14,
2000,
Lions Gate Films finally released ''American Psycho'' in theatres. The film’s overall budget and marketing costs amounted to US$17,000,000. It made a tidy worldwide profit of US$34,266,564. More importantly, it strengthened Bale’s reputation as a committed and capable actor, and further cemented his cult status. Bale was approached to make a
cameo appearance in another Bret Easton Ellis adaptation, ''
The Rules of Attraction'', which was loosely connected to ''American Psycho''. He declined out of loyalty to Mary Harron’s vision of Bateman, which he felt could not be properly expressed by anyone else.
[16]
In the 2000 ''
sequel'' to 1971's ''
Shaft'', Bale played a villainous character similar to Patrick Bateman, an unhinged
racist yuppie named Walter Wade, Jr., a decision which generated observations about the two roles being too alike. Bale acknowledged that perhaps taking on such a similar role so soon was a possible mistake on his part.
14
Bale played an assortment of diverse characters from 2001 onwards. His first role after ''American Psycho'' was in the
John Madden adaptation of the best-selling novel ''
Captain Corelli's Mandolin'', which was a significant departure from the novel. Bale played Mandras, a
Greek fisherman who vied with
Nicolas Cage’s title character for the affections of the desirable Pelagia (
Penelope Cruz). The Mandras of the novel was a more developed character with his own subplot; Bale’s Mandras was relegated to a supporting character, and his subplot was eliminated, much of the camera being devoted to Corelli and Pelagia. ''Captain Corelli’s Mandolin'' was Bale’s second time working with
John Hurt, after ''All the Little Animals''.
2002-2003
2002 was a busy and disappointing year for Bale. He starred in three feature films, none of which were successful at the box office. ''
Laurel Canyon'' (2002), an independent film about love and longing, divided critics. The film’s script and the director’s ego were questioned, but critics, by and large, agreed that
Frances McDormand outshone the rest of the cast, including Bale.
[17]
''
Reign of Fire'' was Bale’s first
action vehicle. It had an immense budget (over US$90,000,000) compared to all his previous work. The film’s plot involved a fire-breathing
dragon that had been awakened from
hibernation, bringing with it thousands more that threatened the world. Bale entered into negotiations about starring in the film with reservations, but director
Rob Bowman convinced him to take the lead role.
[18] Bale starred as Quinn Abercromby opposite
Matthew McConaughey’s Denton Van Zan, two heroes with identical goals but different methods. Bale and McConaughey trained for their respective roles by
boxing and working out.
18 The film was largely panned by critics, failed at the U.S. box office and contributed to Bale’s growing
depression.
[19]
''
Equilibrium'' was Bale’s third film of 2002 and it landed a potentially severe blow to his career, costing US$20,000,000 to produce but earning just over US$5,000,000 worldwide. This commercial failure may at least in part have been due to
Dimension Films not issuing ''Equilibrium'' a wide release, lacking faith in promoting it. Nevertheless, it gained such a cult following upon its release on DVD that director
Kurt Wimmer was granted a US$30,000,000 budget to direct ''
Ultraviolet''. Bale played
John Preston, an elite lawman in a
dystopian,
post-apocalyptic society. ''Equilibrium'' featured a fictional martial art called
Gun Kata, inspired by ''
The Matrix'' and
John Woo’s films that combined
gunfighting with
hand-to-hand combat. Preston was a master of Gun Kata, which made him a particularly memorable protagonist. Preston’s
fanbase was so strong that a number of fans banded together to develop a
total conversion mod for the
computer game ''
Max Payne 2'' dubbed ''Hall of Mirrors''.
[20] According to moviebodycounts.com, the character of John Preston has the most onscreen kills in a single movie ever. His kill-o-meter is set at 118, exactly half the movie total of 236.
[21]
2004
After a year’s hiatus, Bale returned in 2004 to play Trevor Reznik, the title character in the
psychological thriller ''
The Machinist''. Reznik was a chronic
insomniac, tormented by a mysterious stalker. Bale devoted himself to the role to an extent he had never gone to, sacrificing his mental and physical well being to achieve Reznik’s emaciated, skeletal appearance for the sake of an authentic, natural performance. (In one scene,
Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character quipped, “If you were any thinner, you wouldn’t exist.”) He went without proper rest for prolonged periods, and placed himself on a
crash diet that saw his weight dropping by a startling sixty pounds (27 kilograms) in a matter of months.
[22] Bale wanted to lose more, but everyone from the director to his doctor forbade him (as it was, Bale only weighed a startling 120 lbs (54 kilograms) by the end of filming). He was compared to
Robert De Niro, whose alternate weight-gaining regimen saw him putting on fifty-five pounds for his role as
Jake LaMotta in ''
Raging Bull''. Bale took the Reznik role because the script “intrigued” him,
22 and it helped him cope with his depression.
19 ''The Machinist'' garnered mostly positive reviews — critics were impressed by Bale’s dedication. It was a humble production, costing roughly US$5,000,000 to produce. It was given only a limited U.S. release and made most of its profits overseas.
Bale, an admirer of
Hayao Miyazaki's ''
Spirited Away'',
16 was cast as the voice of the title character,
Howl, in the
English language dub of the
Japanese director's
fantasy anime adventure ''
Howl's Moving Castle'', an adaptation of
Diana Wynne Jones’
children's novel. Its profits in the United States made up a mere US$4,711,096 in of its staggering worldwide gross (US$230,458,788). Bale’s Howl, a wizard who lived in a spectacular walking castle, was debonair, princely and ostentatious, a quality shared with one half of Bale’s next role.
Batman
Bale had long been a contender to portray
Batman, from as early as 2002. Earlier on, he had auditioned for the role of
Robin in ''
Batman Forever'', but lost out to
Chris O'Donnell.
[23] In 2004, after completing filming for ''The Machinist'', Bale won the coveted role and was set to star with the predominantly British and Irish cast of
Liam Neeson,
Katie Holmes,
Michael Caine,
Morgan Freeman,
Tom Wilkinson,
Gary Oldman,
Rutger Hauer, and
Cillian Murphy in the
Christopher Nolan-helmed ''
Batman Begins'', a complete
restart of the Batman mythos without any ties to the
Burton or
Schumacher visions. Bale beat out
Jake Gyllenhaal, the closest competition.
[24] Evening the score, Bale lost the part of
Anthony Swofford in ''
Jarhead'' to Gyllenhaal
23
Still fresh from ''The Machinist'', it became necessary for Bale to bulk up to match the powerful physique of Batman. He was given a deadline of six months to do this. Bale recalled it as far from a simple accomplishment: “…when it actually came to building muscle, I was useless. I couldn’t do one push up the first day. All of the muscles were gone, so I had a real tough time rebuilding all of that.”
22 With the help of a
personal trainer, Bale succeeded in meeting the deadline, gaining exactly one hundred pounds (45kg) in six months. He then worked toward building muscle.
[25]
Bale had initial concerns about playing Batman, as he felt more ridiculous than intimidating in the Batman costume. He dealt with this by depicting Batman as a savage beast in his portrayal.
22 To attain a deeper understanding of the character, Bale read various Batman
comic books. He explained his interpretation of the Dark Knight: “Batman is his hidden, demonic rage-filled side. The Batman creature [Wayne] creates is an absolutely sincere creature and one that he has to control but does so in a very haphazard way. He's capable of enacting violence — and to kill — so he's constantly having to rein himself in.” For Bale, the most grueling part about playing Batman was the costume. “You stick it on, you get hot, you sweat and you get a headache in the cowl,” he said. “But I'm not going to bitch about it because I get to play Batman.”
[26] When promoting the film in interviews and public events, Bale retained Bruce Wayne’s American accent to avoid confusion with Batman being a
Briton.
[27]
''Batman Begins'' was released domestically on
June 15, 2005 to wide critical, fan and public approval. Nolan was commended for choosing to film most of ''Begins'' more traditionally by opting for
live-action special effects whenever possible in an age where
CGI was economical and believable. The cast was praised for its effective portrayals, but Bale, along with
Cillian Murphy (
The Scarecrow) drew the most acclaim for his dual portrayal of both Batman and Bruce Wayne. He earned the Best Hero award at the
2006 MTV Movie Awards for his performance.
''Batman Begins'' was a domestic and international triumph for
Warner Bros., costing approximately US$135,000,000 to produce and taking in over US$370,000,000 in returns worldwide. A
''Batman Begins'' video game was also developed for the
GameCube,
PlayStation 2,
Xbox, and
Game Boy Advance; Bale provided the voice of Batman.
Christian Bale reprising his role as Batman in a publicity still for ''
The Dark Knight'' (2008).
Bale is currently filming the ''
Batman Begins'' sequel, ''
The Dark Knight''. The film will be once again directed by
Christopher Nolan and will have a release date of July 18, 2008 in the United States.
Assuming Bale fulfills his contractual obligation to star in a third Batman film, he will be the first actor to portray the character in three different feature films.
Justice League
Since the rebooting of the Batman franchise and the revival of the
Superman movie franchise with ''
Superman Returns'', fans have speculated as to the future production of a
Justice League movie. Bale was asked about the subject of reprising his role as Batman for a possible Justice League movie:
"It's like I was saying to Chris -- I'll be probably doing this in dinner theatre somewhere in my 50s, so I won't knock it. Because who knows where I'll end up?"[28]
During an interview with MTV, when asked about if he had been approached to play his role of Batman in Justice League, Bale stated:
"No, there’s been no talk with me about ‘Justice League’; it’s only [reporters] who mention this to me."[29]
Bale also seemingly showed his sentiments towards a Justice League movie by also stating in the interview:
"We’ve done something very good with our Batman, and so I would not do anything that wasn’t in keeping with what we were doing." And, "...that’d be a whole different world. And if it wasn’t part of [our] world, then it wouldn’t work."[29]
2006 and beyond
After starring in a big-budget film such as ''
Batman Begins'', Bale returned to doing independent films. Bale was cast as one of the two leads in the
South Central David Ayer-helmed crime drama ''
Harsh Times'', co-starring with
Freddy Rodriguez. Bale played Jim Luther Davis, a grim
Afganistan War veteran afflicted with
post-traumatic stress disorder, inexplicably approached by the
Department of Homeland Security and hired as a federal agent. ''
Harsh Times'' premiered at the 2005
Toronto International Film Festival and had a wide release on
November 10,
2006.
Terrence Malick directed ''
The New World'', a
period piece inspired by the stories of
Pocahontas, and Bale was cast as
John Rolfe, his second time participating in a
dramatization of Pocahontas. He shared the screen with
Colin Farrell and
Q'Orianka Kilcher, who played lovers John Smith and Pocahontas. The majority of screen time was devoted to Farrell and Kilcher; Bale was a secondary character, and only appeared during the last third of the film. ''The New World'' left critics to contend whether its indulgence and the dramatic liberties it took over historical accuracy made the film a champion or a dud. Opinions were extremely divided. Filmgoers were uninterested. 'The film was a failure at the U.S. box office and its worldwide total (US$29,506,437) fell just short of turning a profit (the production budget was placed at US$30,000,000).
2006 saw Bale take on a trio of projects. ''
Rescue Dawn'' by
German filmmaker
Werner Herzog had him playing a U.S.
Fighter pilot who has to fight for his life after being shot down while on a mission during the
Vietnam War. Bale left a strong impression on Herzog, with the director complimenting his acting abilities: "I find him one of the greatest talents of his generation. We made up our own minds long before he did Batman."
[31] In ''
The Prestige'', an adaptation of the
Christopher Priest novel about a rivalry between two
Victorian stage magicians, Bale reunites with
Michael Caine and director Christopher Nolan. The cast of ''The Prestige'' also included
Hugh Jackman,
Scarlett Johansson,
Piper Perabo, and
David Bowie. ''
I'm Not There'', a film that sees Bale working with Todd Haynes and
Heath Ledger once more (Heath plays
The Joker in the 2008 film The Dark Knight), is an artistic reflection of the life of
Bob Dylan, and also includes
Cate Blanchett,
Richard Gere,
Julianne Moore and
Charlotte Gainsbourg as part of the cast. In an August edition of Entertainment Weekly,
Matt Damon marveled at how Bale was able to handle so many different projects in one year given his method ethic.
Personal life
On
January 29,
2000, Bale married Sandra "Sibi" Blazic (born 1970) a one-time model, make-up artist, and personal assistant to
Winona Ryder, his ''
Little Women'' co-star. He has a daughter with Blazic named Emmaline, who was born on
March 27,
2005, in
Santa Monica, California.
[32]
Bale has three older sisters – Erin Bale, a
musician; Sharon Bale, a
computer professional; and Louise Bale, a
theatre actress and
director. The Bale family is deeply rooted in
show business, especially theatre. Bale is a distant relative of British actress
Lillie Langtry, while his uncle,
Rex Bale, and maternal grandfather were actors as well.
7
Like his father,
David, Bale is known as a
conservationist and an
animal lover, and is a supporter of conservation and
animal welfare groups like
Greenpeace and the
World Wildlife Fund.
8 The famous
feminist activist,
Gloria Steinem, became a first-time bride at age 66 and Bale's stepmother when she married David on
September 3,
2000, before the elder Bale's death in 2003.
[33]
Filmography
References
1. Christian Bale Biography Dominic Wills
2. Though born in Wales, he is known to consider himself English. Giving an interview to a Japanese website on his transformation into Patrick Bateman for ''American Psycho'' (2000):
3. BrainyQuote citation
4. Wilson, Cintra. "The magic Christian" ''Salon'', October 26, 2004, retrieved on May 27, 2006. (link dead Sept 08, 2007)
5. [1]. Retrieved 31 March 2007
6. Christian Bale Biography (1974-)
7. Wills, Dominic. "Christian Bale Biography" Tiscali.co.uk, retrieved on May 17, 2006.
8. Hotdog. “The Dark Knight Returns” ''Christian Bale – An Unofficial Appreciation'', March, 2005, retrieved on May 15, 2006.
9. “Pac-Man Cereal TV Commercial (1983)” ''Christian Bale – An Unofficial Appreciation'', retrieved on May 15, 2006.
10. Kamarauskas, K. “Christian Bale” ''Thespian Net'', 1999, retrieved on May 15, 2006.
11. Kaufman, Anthony. “INTERVIEW: 9-Months Pregnant and Delivering "American Psycho," Director Mary Harron” ''indieWIRE'', April 14, 2006, retrieved on May 15, 2006.
12. Fischer, Paul. Unmasking an American Psycho ''The Cranky Critic'', retrieved on May 15, 2006.
13. Rubinstein, Julian. “Christian Bale” ''Us Weekly'', May 1, 2000, retrieved on May 15, 2006.
14. McCormick, Moira. “Christian Bale – Good Christian Talks About Playing a Yuppie from Hell” Barnes & Noble.com, September 5, 2000, retrieved on May 15, 2006.
15. Ebert, Roger. “American Psycho” ''Chicago Sun-Times'', April 14, 2000, retrieved on May 17, 2006.
16. Morris, Clint. “Interview: Christian Bale ''Moviehole'', retrieved on May 16, 2006
17. “Laurel Canyon”, ''Metacritic'', retrieved on May 17, 2006.
18. Chavel, Sean. "Interview with Christian Bale of Reign of Fire" UnderGroundOnline, retrieved on June 8, 2006.
19. Applebaum, Stephen. “Holy rejig Batman!” ''The New Zealand Herald'', May 29, 2006, retrieved on May 15, 2006.
20. "Hall of Mirrors", retrieved on June 4, 2006.
21. Equilibrium Body Count
22. Gilchrist, Todd. “IGN Interviews Christian Bale” IGN ''FilmForce'', October 15, 2004, retrieved on May 16, 2006.
23. Not Starring: Roles turned down by Christian Bale
24. Otto, Jeff. “David S. Goyer Talks Batman, Iron Man, Comics and More” IGN ''FilmForce'', February 27, 2004, retrieved on May 16, 2006,
25. Jordan, Sean. “Christian Bale: Belatedly Blabbing Batman” ''Femme Fatales'', July/August, 2005, retrieved on May 16, 2006.
26. Dawson, Angela. “Bale on Batman” azcentral.com, June 10, 2005, retrieved on May 16, 2006.
27. Morales, Wilson. “Batman Begins: An Interview with Christian Bale” blackfilm.com, 2005, retrieved on May 16, 2006.
28. Morales, Wilson. “Christian Bale Up For 'Justice League'?” justpressplay.net, retrieved on July 2, 2007
29. Carrol, Larry. "Christian Bale Hasn’t Been Approached For ‘Justice League’" http://moviesblog.mtv.com, restrieved on August 27, 2007
30. Carrol, Larry. "Christian Bale Hasn’t Been Approached For ‘Justice League’" http://moviesblog.mtv.com, restrieved on August 27, 2007
31. “Herzog Hails Bale” ''Female First'', March 24, 2006, retrieved on May 17, 2006.
32. "PROFILE" ''Celebrity Wonder'', retrieved on June 4, 2006.
33. "Feminist icon Gloria Steinem first-time bride at 66, CNN.com, September 5, 2000, retrieved on May 26, 2006.
External links
★
★
★
★
★
★
Video interview with Christian Bale on Rescue Dawn and 3:10 to Yuma
★
Christian Bale talks Rescue Dawn at TheCinemaSource.com
★
The Onion AV Club interview with Christian Bale
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