The CHRISTIAN BALE thread!

[Young Superman]

He's the best Bruce Wayne ever.

[Chrisbarnes182]

Originally Posted by JTStarkiller

I love the story that Nolan tells about Bale prior to filming Begins: After he wrapped The Machinist, Nolan told him to gain as much weight as possible for Batman. He didn't actually want him to, assuming Bale would put on some weight, and then they'd bulk him up some more. Apparently Bale showed up and had put on TOO much weight. That's when Nolan realized that Bale's the only guy in Hollywood that would do what you tell him.

Ha Brilliant

[Nave 'Torment']

i actually loved his skills in Equilibrium, and gun-kata was awesome so shut up naysayers!

aside from American Psycho that gave u a glimpse of Bale's ability to play dual moods, his performance as Preston really drove home the stoic, emotionless Batman expression.

But yeah, i gess they needed to come up with a distinct batman demeanour for the trilogy and not simply redo the "Keaton" scowl

[kvz5]

Bale

Anyone seen Flowers of War?

[X-Ray]

He didn't have to visit Colorado. He didn't owe them anything. But the friendly gesture will mean everything to those victims. Loved that he did it on his own accord and wanted it to be as low key as possible to not make it into some big gimmicky PR stunt. Glad he didn't show up as Batman like that facebook campaign wanted him to do.

Empire of the Sun was the movie I first saw him in. HBO aired it a lot when I was kid.

[danoyse]

Originally Posted by PSYLENTGuardian

I think Christian Bale has just been so awesome recently that everyone forgot that he raged at a DP on Terminator Salvation.

There's a discussion going on at another forum I read where people are still unwilling to forget about that...a few of them were saying basically, 'well, that was nice of him, but I still think he's a jerk for that other thing..."

I thought it was fantastic that he visited Aurora.

[Nave 'Torment']

^ yeah forget forums that's still what most people think of him as. a guy with an ego, thanks to T4. That was arguably the worst decision he ever made as an actor: to commit to a film by McG.

Haven't seen Flowers of War yet, got it on my watch-list. Does anyone remember when he appeared on CNN a few months back trying to visit that imprisoned-journalist and was pushed off by the authorities? That gives you another look into the man: the exact opposite of "having an ego."

[Rob Lobo]

Didn't he apologize for the T4 tirade? He's quite genuine with the apology and love him for the class act

http://www.justjared.com/2009/02/06/...-bale-apology/

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb...ment/et-brief7

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

[Nave 'Torment']

[Nave 'Torment']

the 86-60 drop happened with me -_- so now everyone tells me i look ill, tired, and pretty much deprived of all the good things in life. I tell em I pulled a Christian Bale. The conversation usually ends at that point.

[Lasirius]

Originally Posted by danoyse

There's a discussion going on at another forum I read where people are still unwilling to forget about that...a few of them were saying basically, 'well, that was nice of him, but I still think he's a jerk for that other thing..."

I thought it was fantastic that he visited Aurora.

He might or not be a jerk, we don't really know him personally. It's no different from any another person being under stress and losing it at work, I'm sure most of us go or wish to go on rants like that at some point.

[ThePhantasm]

He was heavier in TDKR than in BB? I didn't know that.

[CapedCrusader14]

Those idiots that still ramble on about the T4 rant need to get a grip. It's not like he's Mel Gibson.

[Golgo-13]

Originally Posted by PSYLENTGuardian

I think Christian Bale has just been so awesome recently that everyone forgot that he raged at a DP on Terminator Salvation.

I think that situation was so over hyped. He surely isn't the first actor to do such a thing, it's just he was caught on audio doing it. That coupled with the fact that TDK was the talk of the town, added fuel to a common behind the scenes situation.

Loved him in American Psycho. The line "Sabrina, don't just look at it, eat it!" duing his monologue is probably one off the funniest line deliveries i've ever heard in my life!

[danoyse]

So I have a program from Newsies that I got when I first saw it in the movie theater. It's basically a fake newspaper with behind-the-scenes stuff on the movie. One page is all profiles of all of the kids in the movie (age, favorite movie, favorite food, etc.).

Listed as the then-18-year-old Bale's favorite actor? His future Commissioner Gordon, Gary Oldman.

[Greens]

Wow, that's pretty cool!

[Snoo]

I need this movie in my life right now! All the photos seen so far have made me really anxious to see it! One of my fave shots because he looks so GQ (I like to imagine he's Bruce Wayne):

[Golgo-13]

Originally Posted by danoyse

So I have a program from Newsies that I got when I first saw it in the movie theater. It's basically a fake newspaper with behind-the-scenes stuff on the movie. One page is all profiles of all of the kids in the movie (age, favorite movie, favorite food, etc.).

Listed as the then-18-year-old Bale's favorite actor? His future Commissioner Gordon, Gary Oldman.

I wouldn't be surprised if one of the reasons Oldman got the part is 'cause Bale mentioned him to Nolan. Hollywood is all about who you know.

[kvz5]

Originally Posted by Snoo

I need this movie in my life right now! All the photos seen so far have made me really anxious to see it! One of my fave shots because he looks so GQ (I like to imagine he's Bruce Wayne):

He has more women in that movie than the entire Batman trilogy.

[craigdbfan]

Bale is probably my favorite active actor in Hollywood right now. I appreciate how much dedication he has towards his craft.

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Yeah. He appears to be one of the method actors. Things like having his trailer with the name BRUCE WAYNE, instead of his name, for example.

He's also one of the very few child actors who didn't implode. The fact that he's pushing 40 and still working, is kinda amazing when you look at how many child actors don't.

[PSYLENTGuardian]

When I saw him in American Psycho, I found it hard to believe he was a child star beforehand. I still need to see Empire of the Sun.

[Baneis8feettall]

He is a mile ahead Dicaprio,Pitt & Depp etc but less recognized.

Bale & Norton are best of their generation. Norton slowed down, Bale rises. (bat pun, i accept)

[Rowsdower!]

Bale has been in my top 5 favorite actors for a long time, and forget the stupid T4 rant thing... he's genuinely a great dude. Visiting the Aurora victims was such an awesome thing that he did. When he was in China and tried to visit that blind activist... that was another example of his character. And I damn near cried when he got choked up talking about Heath Ledger during that MTV Awards special on TDKR. If people still can't "forgive" him for ranting at some idiot who was screwing up his scene (in a movie they probably didn't bother to see anyway), they can go to hell.

Curious, what do you guys think was Bale's BEST performance? There have been so many great ones, it's tough for me to pick. Some of my favorites though...

Empire of the Sun - Arguably the best lead performance by a child actor I have EVER seen.

American Psycho - As a fan of the book, I found the overall movie a little underwhelming... but Bale NAILED the character of Bateman. I can't imagine anyone else playing that role as well as he did.

BB/TDK/TDKR - I'll always feel blessed to have seen my favorite superhero played by one of my favorite actors. People give Nolan a ton of credit for making Batman "cool" again but they shouldn't forget that it never would have worked if they didn't have the right actor in place. Some people don't like the bat growl but I'm a huge fan of Bale's Batman because he's the only actor I've ever seen that encompasses ALL aspects of the Bruce Wayne/Batman character.

Equilibrium - While the low budget has caused this movie to age somewhat poorly, Bale's performance is still top notch. He goes from a hollow, blank slate of a man to sympathetic, heroic character. Such a brilliantly well-acted character arc. A lesser actor wouldn't have been able to pull it off so well. And the fight scenes kick ass.

The Machinist - This movie brought new meaning to the term "dedicated actor." I mean really... how many other actors would have put themselves through what Bale went through to play this seriously mentally ill character?

The Fighter - Bale won an Oscar for this performance and rightfully so... It's hard to think of a character who you want to punch one second and then hug the next. His portrayal of Dicky Eklund is truly heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting. I hope they do move forward with the sequel to this film, mostly because I would love to see more of Bale in this amazing role.

[kvz5]

Favorite/Best Performances:

Empire of the Sun
American Psycho
The Fighter
The Prestige
3:10 To Yuma
Rescue Dawn
BB/TDKR
Flowers of War