Batman : The Dark Knight Blog

Christian Charles Philip Bale (also known professionally as Christian Morgan Bale; born 30 January 1974) is a British actor who is known for his roles in the films Newsies, American Psycho, Shaft, Equilibrium, The Machinist, Batman Begins, and The Prestige, among others. Bale is also known for his versatility as an actor, including mimicking nearly any English-language-based accent[citation needed], harsh regimens of shedding and gaining weight (particularly for The Machinist, Batman Begins and, most recently, Rescue Dawn), and generally inhabiting the characters he plays[citation needed]. Before he found success in playing Batman, he was heavily involved in independent films.

Bale first caught the public eye when he was cast in the starring role of Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun at the age of 13, playing a British boy who becomes separated from his parents and subsequently finds himself in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Since then, he has portrayed a wide range of characters. Bale is especially noted for his cult following. The tenth anniversary issue of Entertainment Weekly hailed him as one of the “Top 8 Most Powerful Cult Figures of the Past Decade,” citing his impressive cult status on the Internet. In a 2007 poll of IMDb users, he was voted their favorite actor who is under 40. Entertainment Weekly also called Bale one of the “Most Creative People in Entertainment,” after his dynamic performance in American Psycho.

Batman : The Dark Knight

Bale had long been a contender to portray Batman, from as early as 2002. Earlier on, he had auditioned for the role of Robin in Batman Forever, but lost out to Chris O’Donnell.[23] In 2004, after completing filming for The Machinist, Bale won the coveted role and was set to star with a mixed cast of British, Irish, and American actors, that includes: Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Tom Wilkinson, Gary Oldman, Rutger Hauer, and Cillian Murphy in the Christopher Nolan-helmed Batman Begins, a complete restart of the Batman mythos without any ties to the Burton or Schumacher visions. Bale beat out Jake Gyllenhaal, the closest competition.[24] Though not quite evening the score, Bale lost the part of Anthony Swofford in Jarhead to Gyllenhaal [23]

Still fresh from The Machinist, it became necessary for Bale to bulk up to match the powerful physique of Batman. He was given a deadline of six months to do this. Bale recalled it as far from a simple accomplishment: “…when it actually came to building muscle, I was useless. I couldn’t do one push up the first day. All of the muscles were gone, so I had a real tough time rebuilding all of that.”[22] With the help of a personal trainer, Bale succeeded in meeting the deadline, gaining exactly one hundred pounds (45kg) in six months. He then worked toward building muscle.[25]

Bale had initial concerns about playing Batman, as he felt more ridiculous than intimidating in the Batman costume. He dealt with this by depicting Batman as a savage beast in his portrayal.[22] To attain a deeper understanding of the character, Bale read various Batman comic books. He explained his interpretation of the Dark Knight: “Batman is his hidden, demonic rage-filled side. The Batman creature [Bruce Wayne] creates is an absolutely sincere creature and one that he has to control but does so in a very haphazard way. He’s capable of enacting violence — and to kill — so he’s constantly having to rein himself in.” For Bale, the most grueling part about playing Batman was the costume. “You stick it on, you get hot, you sweat and you get a headache in the cowl,” he said. “But I’m not going to bitch about it because I get to play Batman.”[26] When promoting the film in interviews and public events, Bale reportedly retained Bruce Wayne’s American accent to avoid confusion with Batman being a Briton.[27]

Batman Begins was released domestically on June 15, 2005 to wide critical, fan and public approval (many fans and critics acknowledged that Bale gave the definitive Batman performance). Batman Begins was a domestic and international triumph for Warner Bros., costing approximately US$135,000,000 to produce and taking in over US$370,000,000 in returns worldwide. The cast was praised for its effective portrayals, but Bale, along with Cillian Murphy (The Scarecrow) drew the most acclaim for his dual portrayal of both Batman and Bruce Wayne. He earned the Best Hero award at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards for his performance.

Bale is currently filming the Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight. The film will be once again directed by Christopher Nolan and will have a release date of July 18, 2008 in the United States.

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