You may not know much about the Welsh-born actor Christian Bale, but you’ve certainly seen him hanging around in some of the best films of the past decade. While Christian is rarely seen on the red carpet as a genuine superstar, his mostly underrated talent is highlighted by his ability to introduce a unique accent of speech to each and every one of his roles. As one of the more quiet sensations in Hollywood, Christian has been cast in an impressive number of controversial roles that has yielded the kind of critical acclaim that most stars would die for. Born in 1974 in Wales, Christian was raised in England where he played an integral part in the local theater company. After working in a number of theater productions on both sides of the Atlantic, Christian was personally cast by Steven Spielberg in his World War II drama “Empire of the Sun,” and later followed up his early success with roles opposite film veterans like Kenneth Branagh and Charlton Heston.
Christian remained under the radars through most of his young adult years with roles in sleeper hits like “Swing Kids,” “Velvet Goldmine” and “Metroland,” and didn’t finally begin to receive the recognition he deserved until 2000 when “American Psycho” stormed theaters and surprised moviegoers everywhere with the controversial behavior of its main character. Handpicked by director Mary Harron to star as the fanatical Bateman, the studio didn’t consent to the selection of Bale (instead favoring Leonardo DiCaprio for the role) until both Harron and novelist Bret Easton Ellis (who penned the original novel) threatened to leave the project. Since then, Christian has slowly climbed his way up the Hollywood ladder with a wide array of eccentric performances that have further proven his undeniable talent. Christian is still at the top of his game, and was recently named as Entertainment Weekly’s “It” Male of the Year, though he’s not getting any younger waiting for his fifteen minutes. It’s a good thing he’s so modest about his fame, but watch for Christian’s stock to skyrocket in the upcoming years.
Badass Character – Batman
In 2007, we created a Badass Bracket for 32 of the most badass characters from the movies and TV that we could think of. It was pretty hard narrowing it down to that number, but Batman was an easy choice (none-human superhero characters like Superman were not eligible). As the #8 seed it wasn’t much of a surprise when he made it to the final battle!
Batman’s run to the title: Defeated #7 Lee in round 5, 57%-43% / Defeated #13 Tony Montana in round 4, 60%-40% / Defeated #1 Dirty Harry in round 3, 51%-49% / Defeated #9 Buffy Summers in round 2, 60%-40%
Here’s the Badass Bracket profile for Batman:
Christian Bale, “Batman Begins“
Many would argue that Batman is nothing without his toys, but just try and mess with the guy and see if he doesn’t punch you in the face. He’s been angry for nearly 20 years, and dressing up in a tight, neoprene batsuit every night certainly doesn’t help with one’s psychosis. Okay, so he’s afraid of bats, but everyone has their weaknesses, right? And Batman uses that fear to transform himself into one of the coolest vigilantes to ever walk the Earth. Plus, he’s got an array of gadgets that would make even Superman jealous, including a sweet ride that’s one part Corvette and one part tank.Definitive badass moment: Privy to the Scarecrow’s hallucinogenic drug after having already been sprayed with it once, Batman turns the tables on the doc and gives him a taste of his own medicine. The result? The Dark Knight like you’ve never seen him before.
Classic badass line: “I won’t kill you, but I don’t have to save you.”
Seed: #8
Occupation: Caped Crusader
Strengths: Cunning, brave and has a gadget for every situation
Weaknesses: Borderline crazy, no real superpowers, afraid of bats
Christian Bale on the Screen
Christian has been a major presence on the big screen since he was a little boy, starting out in Steven Spielberg’s “Empire of the Sun” before moving on to films like “Newsies” and “Swing Kids,” and ultimately gaining cult status as Patrick Bateman in “American Psycho.” But despite a balanced career filled with big budget projects like “Shaft” and smaller indies like “The Machinist,” Christian didn’t truly make a name for himself until he was cast as the Caped Crusader in Christopher Nolan’s reboot “Batman Begins.” Since then, he’s appeared in films like “Rescue Dawn,” “The Prestige,” “3:10 to Yuma,” “Terminator Salvation” and “The Fighter” (finally winning his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), as well as two more Batman films, including “The Dark Knight” with Heath Ledger.
Christian Bale Says
On writing:
“I only sound intelligent when there’s a good script writer around.”
On preparing for a role:
“My method can be nothing, or the most intense, bizarre preparations you’ve ever seen.”