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.
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.”