Christian Bale

Christian Bale

Christian Bale portrayed Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.

Significant roles

• Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island (1990)
• Thomas Berger in Swing Kids (1993)
• Laurie in Little Women (1994)
• Stevie in The Secret Agent (1996)
• Demetrius in A Midsummer's Night Dream (1999)
• Patrick Bateman in American Psycho (2000)
• Walter Wade Jr. in Shaft (2000)
• Quinn Abercromby in Reign of Fire (2002)
• John Preston in Equilibrium (2002)
• Trevor Reznik in The Machinist (2004)
• Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman Begins (2005)
• John Rolfe in The New World (2005)
• Alfred Borden in The Prestige (2006)
• Dan Evans in 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
• Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Dark Knight (2008)
• John Connor in Terminator Salvation (2009)
• Melvin Purvis in Public Enemies (2009)
• Dicky Eckland in The Fighter (2010)
• Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
• Irving Rosenfeld in American Hustle (2013)
• Moses in Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
• Rick in Knight of Cups (2015)
• Michael Burry in The Big Short (2015)
• Captain Joseph J. Blocker in Hostiles (2017)
• Dick Cheney in Vice (2018)
• Ken Miles in Ford v. Ferrari (2019)
• Bagheera in Mowgli (2019)

Quotes

• "You couldn`t pull it off unless you became a beast inside that suit."
• "At first, I was somewhat hesitant to do the role. I mean, after all, Batman is an icon. But I remember, as clear as day, being at the grocery store the day the movie opened, and this little boy saw me. He couldn't have been more than five years old. He just walked right up to me and hugged me. He hugged me, and I was so moved by it that I hugged him back. Then he looked up at me and said "You're my hero." And in that moment, I knew that not only as an actor that I had done my job, but that I had made the right decision to play Batman. And I've never looked back on my the decision to play Batman since."
• "Christopher’s really the reason I wanted to do it. I had first read a graphic novel - I’m not a comic book fan at all, I never have been - but had, I kind of forget how I actually ended up getting this, but somehow I got offered “Asylum” and read it and was really intrigued by it because it was nothing like it seemed in the "Batman" TV series, nothing like it seemed in the "Batman" movies either. I thought it was so much more interesting. I read "Batman Year One" and like the "Dark Victory" and stuff, and I thought, “This is good stuff. There’s a really great character here. The way that they play it is fantastic. Why has there never been a movie done?”"
• "I think that you have with the Tim Burton ones a great stylized version. But to me, whilst I enjoyed those ones, it was more the stylization of the villains than Batman himself. I didn’t see a whole lot going on in Batman. The other ones just weren’t my thing at all. And I just felt that I wanted to attempt to base it in reality, starting from a realistic point of view of the pain and the trauma that a child has been through, and really looking at it as that instead of just [he's] this incredibly theatrical character that jumps around in a Batsuit, which to me would be kind of stupid if I met him in the street. You know, I don’t think I would be intimidated. I would laugh at him."
• "The car. It has to be because they’ve done such a radically different thing with it. What I love about it is that aesthetically it kicks ass. It looks f***ing stunning."
• "Stunning. Fantastic. I wish I got to drive it more, you know? The guy with the coolest job on the set was the stunt driver. I got a lot of attention the first few days I had the Batsuit on and then after a while you get used to me sitting around in a Batsuit. The stunt driver, every time he came on the set everyone was just in awe. (Laughing) “Here comes the man. This is the guy who’s really going to make the movie." And it is stunning. The things that they did with it. The actual engineering of it is stunning. I don’t know an awful lot about cars, but apparently it’s the first car ever designed without any kind of front axle. It really can do the things that you see in the movie. The actual cars really did do them. They built like 12 or 13 of them."
• "I'm terrible at auditions, so I'm very impressed when somebody really seems to acquire an ownership of a character without having worked on it or prepared for some amount of time. I saw that in Anne. In many ways, she has the hardest job. There are a number of people who feel that the Catwoman role has been defined previously. So, I always saw Anne's role as being the toughest job of any of us."
• "he is a phenomenal actor. I like working with him a great deal. He goes the whole hog. I know that Bane has been seen in movies before. But, in my eyes, Tom is essentially creating Bane for the first time so there's great freedom for him to be able to do so."
• "Joseph is a very intriguing guy... He's somebody who truly seems to love acting. He's a good, smart guy. He did a very good job in the movie."
• "We always maintained from the beginning that if you wanted to break it down, there are three personas – Batman is sincere, the private Bruce Wayne is sincere. The public version of Bruce Wayne, the playboy, is a completely fabricated performance."
• "I wasn’t a 12-year-old that gave a damn about comics. I had never been someone into comic books, it just didn’t interest me. It wasn’t my thing. Suddenly [after reading Miller's Batman: Year One] I found Batman has so many issues, he’s not a healthy individual, this is somebody that is doing good, but he’s right on the verge of doing bad. He’s got that killer within him that he’s desperately not trying to let off his leash. And that’s what I always return to."
• "For me he is an anarchist and a free spirit. He knows that there are parallels between him and his enemies because life is never stable - you always have to fight for it. Keeping in mind that it may never be boring and that nobody is obliging you to behave like a superhero and to always have your muscles flexed and bulging."
• "Heath really was a lovely person, he loved his daughter dearly and he spent his life seeking answers. He was nothing to do with the commotion that broke out after his death. Nobody ever really is a cartoon superhero, even although superheroes are all the rage today."
• "I remember when I first read the script, of course it was all top secret. I went round by Chris’ house, was shut in the room with the script — not allowed to leave with it — and it hit me that this was the last one. What Chris couldn’t believe was how slow I read because I go back and re-read until I have it all in my mind. I was in there six or seven hours. It was dark when I came out. And I was smiling."
• "I usually read and re-read and re-read, so he couldn’t believe it, I think. Chris kept walking in, thinking, is he asleep? We started lunchtime, it got dark, and the family was having dinner."
• "I want to say that one of the places where everyone else would have said was a complete hell hole, was India. When we started the film, we did a couple of days in Jodhpur, and the locals thought we were fu**ing nuts. (laughter) We were out in 120 degree heat, and we would be walking back into this one room where we had air conditioning and go “Ah!” it was like putting your head in a freezer. It was 90 degrees in that room, just to show you how hot it was. I thought it was a great kind of induction by fire, into that whole thing. And of people, we were just having the most ridiculous conversations because of heat exposure by the end of each day. But it was a nice kind of bonding moment, it was very memorable."
• "For me, time will tell with that. And for myself as well, I feel like you sit back and digest it. You watch it with new eyes for the first time, you watch it a few times and then you get that answer in a few years time. For myself, when you are inside a project, you cannot see the wood for the trees."
• "Well it’s kind of a bittersweet thing. There are certain moments where you are in there you have got a migraine and you are in Saginaw. This is the year that when I landed badly on my back, or I did something and my back didn’t fix itself for a month, it was difficult. I’m used to it fixing after three days, but I’m 38 now, and I was hobbling about in the mornings, bloody hell, so things have changed for me this year. So, it did get exhausting, but the second you start complaining about that, I mean, come on. I can’t whine about that and just need to recognize that there’s this great iconic character that I’m getting to play."
• "The suit stayed pretty much the same, but just advanced in terms of character, where he’s at and what has he been doing? What has he had to reflect upon? And how long does somebody continue to have this painful episode in their life and continue to direct their lives? And we’ve always said that throughout the saga, who is warning what could go wrong? And so it’s kind of crunch time, how much longer can you do this? How much longer does he let it dominate his life, but can he get out, does he get through it?"
• "You got both and you got a bold actor right here. Tom goes the distance, Tom goes way beyond what most other actors would do. And so be bold and respect Chris in his decisions and be bold and you’ve got a hell of an actor here that has created a phenomenon, a villain that stands by itself."
• "No bloody idea. Ask him about that. I’m not an actor that tends to care. I don’t ask “Is this a close up? Is this a master? Is this a wide? What are you doing?” If I look up and notice the camera I go “Oh, it’s a big one today, must be an IMAX.” And that’s kinda it for me because it doesn’t affect what I’m doing."
• "I knew it was going to happen for me because I was contracted to do this film. I had no choice, I would have been sued up the ying-yang and be on the street and penniless if I hadn’t done it. Chris, my understanding was, could have chosen not to do it, but he had always talked about this as being a trilogy and he liked the challenge that an awful lot of movies fail on the third one. There are some exceptions but most of the time that’s the tricky one to pull off. And I think he really likes the challenge of that."
• "I’m figuring it all out as I go along. And I’m seeing Chris sitting on this shoulder here and my Emma Thomas sitting on this shoulder right now as you’re asking the question going: “Don’t say anything! You know you’re not allowed to answer that one. ” I think let’s leave that one until you see the movie."
• "Yeah, a little. But we’ve always had to mess around… Every single movie that we’ve done for the Batman stuff has always had hair that we’ve had to be able to adapt to different looks throughout. So the longer you keep it the more you can do with it. Am I doing a good job? I’m kinda answering the questions but not really giving you shit."
• "I have no clue what the audience is going to think about the movie. Thank god I got someone like Chris who is really great at gauging that. He represents the audience for us on the set. So for me, I love the character so much that you’d get a very bizarre Batman movie. People would go, “What the hell? Why are we delving so much into his psyche? ” He is a fascinating character and then Chris just has to tell me the points when it gets tedious and boring and doesn’t want to see what I’m doing. It’s great having someone at the helm who’s – He’s remarkably confident at going with his gut and not desiring any safety net or anything to fall back on. There are a number of times when I say to him: “Are you sure you don’t want me to do a few other variants? I can do this one, and what if later down track you choose to change this part of the story, in that case we need to change the domino effect. If you want I can give you three or four different ways you can play it. ” He’s like: “No, no I know what I want. ” That’s exactly the thing that I need, he’s very firm with it. It is a fascinating character. In honesty, there are probably a lot of stories that can be told with Batman. I like the idea of him growing older and he can’t quite do it as much anymore. But I kind of feel, you have to leave when the going is good and this is when Chris wants to wrap it up. And it’s the right time."
• "To me, he has it all; it’s all in there. The thing is, he is still that child basically. The one thing that I do know, and there’s an awful lot in the graphic novels, which we’ve played with a little bit, is this whole notion of him genuinely being a playboy versus what we’ve done, which is he sort of performs that but his heart’s not really in it. And the eternal problem that Alfred has with watching this guy who has no life. He’s put his entire life on hold because, yeah, he still does. He’s got this fierceness in his mind and emotions that he just will not forget the pain of the parents. With most people it’s like time heals all wounds, but with him it’s like, “No, no, no. ” He doesn’t want to forget it, he wants to maintain that anger that he felt at that injustice but equally he wants to present this very vacuous soulless persona to Gotham so hopefully no one will suspect him but will just think he’s a spoiled bastard. But consequently in his most intimate moments he has Alfred, he has Rachel and there is not a whole lot there, because it’s complete arrested development. And the recognition that at some point he’s got to start living. He is seriously behind in terms of life and enjoyment of life. That’s all been sacrificed and at some point, hopefully it’s Alfred’s wish that he will start to live again. Of course this tragedy has defined him but to a degree he’s sacrificed everything that most people would consider worth living for in life and he’s going to have relearn that, embarrassingly late in life."
• "She did a wonderful job. She really trained so hard for it. She managed to find a place for herself where she could make this version of Catwoman work within Chris Nolan’s world of Batman. I remember when she first read for it, I turned to Chris and I said,’ I think that’s what you’re looking,’… I could see that through the costume a Catwoman. She was able to overcome that and still show the character… she was superb."
• "He's filled with remorse, he's become a recluse, he's given up and completely quit. He's in very poor health physically and mentally. He is not a healthy superhero. He has multiple-personality disorder and is a very sad, lonely individual."
• "He has the public persona of the playboy and the character of Batman is the personification of his rage and sense of injustice. He's almost a villain and takes it to the edge, where he can do no wrong, but he has this altruism holding him back from doing that. The reason he dresses in the Batman suit is that he feels monstrous, so he creates a monster to represent that rage and keep it away from his own personal life."
• "I got there. They put me in Val Kilmer's suit. It didn't even fit properly, and I stood in it and I went 'I feel like an idiot.' What kind of guy walks around, dressed like a bat? And is then going to go 'Hello, how are you? Just ignore that I'm dressed as a bat.' Of course, he's meant to be doing this. If you look at the history of the guy and the pain that he went through. I went 'I can't do this in a normal voice. I have to become a beast in order to sell this to myself. I went home that evening, and my wife said, 'How'd it go?' I went, 'I kind of did this.' And I showed her, and she went, 'Oh, you f---ed that one up, didn't you?' Thank God they went for it."
• "The voice ain't for everybody. Ben's obviously going to have to do his own thing, but it was the only way that I could find how to get into that and to justify wearing the fricking Batsuit. Otherwise, he's just loopy beyond belief. He's loopy, but he's loopy with a method to his madness. I wish him the best. You look at this kid, Batkid.... That gives the whole point. It doesn't matter which actor is playing him. He's a symbol. He's so much bigger than any actor. That's all. This little kid, he doesn't really care which actor's playing him. It's the symbol of the whole thing, and that's what makes the character so fantastic. I look forward to seeing what Ben will do with it."
• "It's a little embarrassing to compare Moses to Batman. There are similarities, you know, tragic beginning and then a heroic future. But Moses is a little more violent. I'm sure if there'd been guns around at that time, Bruce Wayne might have had a chance."
• "I've got to admit initially, even though I felt that it was the right time to stop, there was always a bit of me going, 'Oh go on... Let's do another.' So when I heard there was someone else doing it, there was a moment where I just stopped and stared into nothing for half an hour. But I'm 40. The fact that I'm jealous of someone else playing Batman...I think I should have gotten over it by now. I haven't spoken with Ben, but I emailed him offering bits of advice that I learned the hard way. I would imagine he is doing everything he can to avoid anything that I did."
• "Everyone brings their own element to that -- Ben will do that as well. I think the trailers are looking great and I'm looking forward to that. But right on for Morgan for saying no one will ever be that, I very much like him."
• "I didn’t quite manage what I hoped I would throughout the trilogy. Chris did, but my own sense of self is like, ‘I didn’t quite nail it.’ Heath turned up, and just kind of completely ruined all my plans. Because I went, 'He’s so much more interesting than me and what I’m doing.’"

Trivia

• Bale's wife Sibi Blazic was a stunt driver in The Dark Knight Rises.
• Bale auditioned for the role of Robin in Batman Forever before Chris O'Donnell was cast.

External Links

• Christian Bale on the Marvel Movies Wiki