It's always been hard for audiences to get a fix on Christian Bale. The handsome Welshman has invested himself in so many diverse roles that he escapes traditional star image-making.
Bale is a chameleonic performer whose work will run the gamut from homicidal maniac in American Psycho, to the emaciated insomniac in The Mechanic, to his embittered crimefighter in the Batman trilogy, to an ambitious magician in The Prestige, and even a U.S. Navy pilot facing torture as a Vietnamese POW in Rescue Dawn. And that’s before we’ve even discussed Thor, Dick Cheney, and Ford v Ferrari.
What’s interesting is that none of Bale’s films gives us a consistent picture of the man behind his various masks. So, while he doesn’t find ease or comfort in playing any character, the 51-year-old admits if there is one type of persona he thrives off most, it’s a villain, and there is perhaps no villain quite as complex as Frankenstein’s monster.
The new movie, titled The Bride, draws inspiration from James Whale's 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein, itself adapted from Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus. In it, a story set in 1930s Chicago, Frankenstein's monster asks Dr. Euphronius to create a companion for him. They give life to a murdered woman as ‘the Bride’, sparking romance, police interest, and radical social change.
STRIPLV: Coming up, you have another movie where we see your dedication manifest itself in spectacular fashion. BALE: When you’re asked to depict Frankenstein’s monster, you know you are going to have to do something serious and profound to your body, so that’s the process that came about. It’s been the same with other movies I’ve done, and I’m pretty comfortable going down that path. The weight loss started off as a nice switch to a healthier way of being, but quickly it turned into one of the hardest things I have had to do. Ultimately, though, if you are drawn to the psychology of a role, you have to, in the same way, be drawn to the psychology of portraying the role. To go through the pain of preparing my body to be him meant embodying a lot of the pain that we see in the movie through the character, so in one sense it was perfect preparation. Obviously, I’ve always been interested in characters who are complicated, who operate in shades of grey. The script felt like it had room for nuance, which is what I look for. STRIPLV: We’re not talking about the same level as The Machinist, though? BALE: No, not in anything like that dramatic sense of weight loss. I experimented with cutting and stitching, and obviously, there was a whole psychological gameplay to go through, as well as posture, gestures, and the way someone has to inhabit a space. Even small adjustments make a difference. For me, it was, as always, about creating a fully realised presence rather than focusing only on appearance. What connects me to a role is something I would call an intense idealist. I'm someone who likes to push myself to extremes and enjoy the ride for all its worth because there's an incredible purity to being part of that process. I need to throw myself into my work that way because that's where the fascination lies. I want to experience the raw emotions that come with certain characters and their experiences, which go way beyond anything you would normally be confronted with in life. Ultimately, that means I am lured and wired more towards controversial characters, and controversial characters are usually wrongdoers, or those who have some dark or rebellious element within them. STRIPLV: Has it always been this way for you? BALE: I have an extremist sensibility. It's my way of raging against the machine and releasing some of the negative energy that builds up inside us that maybe we ourselves don't even know that we’re accumulating. STRIPLV: How do you maintain such focus during a career that spans decades? BALE: I try to compartmentalise. When I’m working, I immerse myself completely. When I’m not, I disconnect from work. My family is very important, so I make sure to protect that space. Balance is key. Otherwise, the intensity can be overwhelming. STRIPLV: Speaking of family, how has fatherhood changed your perspective on your work? BALE: Profoundly. You start to see the world differently. Decisions you make are no longer just about you. You consider the kind of example you’re setting, and what you want your children to take from your life. It makes the highs more joyful and the lows easier to navigate because there’s something larger than the job itself. STRIPLV: Do your children ever get involved in your projects? BALE: Not directly. They’re young, and I prefer to keep work separate from family life. But they are curious, and sometimes they visit the set, just to see what it’s like. They ask questions, and I answer them honestly, in a way they can understand. I think it’s important they see the process, not just the final product. It’s really up to them if they decide this industry is something that they wish to explore. It’s been reasonably good to me, but there are other jobs out there! STRIPLV: You’ve been known to turn down projects if they don’t feel right. Has that been difficult in the industry today? BALE: Yes and no. I’m conscious of the opportunities I’ve had, so I try to be selective. It’s tempting to say yes to everything, but the truth is that quality is more important than quantity. I’d rather do fewer projects with integrity than more projects that feel hollow. STRIPLV: How do you spend downtime when you’re not working? BALE: I enjoy cycling, reading, and being outdoors. There’s something about physical activity that clears your mind. STRIPLV: Looking back, which role do you feel shaped your career the most? BALE: Every role teaches you something, but The Machinist and American Psycho were pivotal because they demanded extremes, both physically and emotionally. They showed me what was possible and set a standard for how I approach work now. In every new film I take on, in every script I read, I do think back to those projects because they really and truly set the benchmark for me in terms of what I could do with what was in front of me. STRIPLV: You’ve shown a fair amount more diversity in recent roles and recent years. Is this a conscious shift? BALE: I think it’s easy to fall into a way of viewing genres, making films, and acting, and when you are fully on that path, it’s difficult to move to others. Like most things in life, when you begin to take in other ideas and influences, it does then become somewhat simpler to explore that area. They say familiarity brings contempt, but it also provides comfort and confidence. STRIPLV: You don’t come across as someone who has ever lacked confidence? BALE: All actors are incredibly fragile underneath! (Laughs) We all require pretty constant reassurance and affirmation that what we’re doing is the right thing and worthwhile. You may have a very thin string of performers who are at the point where they really don’t care what people think, though those same performers are probably knocking out content that no one wants to watch anyway. It’s a bit like adrenaline on a sports field. Even the very best and most experienced athletes have it, and if they didn’t have it, they wouldn’t be as good as they are. For actors, what keeps a lot of them coming back is the fear of not being invited back. That element is pretty terrifying, no matter how rich you are or how long you’ve been in the business. STRIPLV: Away from the industry, privacy means a big deal to you, right? BALE: Yes, I like to live very quietly, very privately, and don’t like to let the public get to know me too well. STRIPLV: Why is that? BALE: I'd rather be a mysterious figure than one of those celebrities whose lives are an open book. I find it easier to appreciate the work of a painter or musician when I know very little about their private life or history. It's not important when it comes to the work, is it? So I think the less people know about my private life, the more they can appreciate seeing me in different roles, not the same old stuff. STRIPLV: On that note, then, perhaps, do you wish you could have done a fourth Batman movie? BALE: The discussion never happened. It was a great chapter in my life, but I was happy to move on. STRIPLV: Yet playing baddies is most fun, surely? BALE: I can understand why people think that, and like to see me that way, but the truth is probably just that I like the chameleonic aspect of an actor’s career, experiencing new things in life and challenging myself and learning something new about life or about myself under certain situations. That's the kick for me. STRIPLV: Do you agree that villains seem to be more likely to land big awards? BALE: I’m not sure that’s true. I think villains and heroes, in equal measure, attract attention by the very nature of the fact that they are away from the norm. Awards are a funny one, anyway. Awards, filmmaking, it's all very subjective, isn't it? It's all opinion, it's all conjecture. To say a performance is the best of that year, it's tricky. How can you really say that? STRIPLV: What's the best advice anyone has ever given you about the business? BALE: So much advice is useless, but Robert Duvall told me something when I was 17. He told me not to have my life revolve around movies and acting. Live life properly, have friends who have nothing to do with it. Don't drift into this circle of competitiveness and just associate with other actors. That's when life becomes really dull. Nobody wants to see actors who know only about acting. It's easy to become this kind of artistic, diva-ish, precious person in this business, because people treat you automatically as if you're something special. Our work might enable us to achieve something artistically interesting and vital, but as far as our personal lives are concerned, we aren't necessarily that interesting.
A FAMILY OF ARTISTS
Bale’s intensity on screen is no surprise – after all, artistry is in his blood.
Christian Bale might be famous for his Oscar-winning performances, but the Bale family tree is just as fascinating.
His mother, Jenny James, was a circus performer and dancer; his sister Louise is a director and actress.
His late father, David Bale, was an entrepreneur and animal rights activist who later married feminist icon Gloria Steinem, making Steinem Bale’s stepmother.
It’s little wonder Bale has spent a lifetime chasing complex roles - he grew up in households where performance, activism, and storytelling were part of daily life.