‘That’s my boy’: Steven Spielberg on why Christian Bale never failes to impress him
Very few people have had a front row seat to as many gripping, groundbreaking, and historic performances as Steven Spielberg. When you’re one of greatest directors of all time (if not the greatest), you can basically have your pick of top acting talent, a privilege Spielberg has exploited to great effect across his career. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List, Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan, Michelle Williams in The Fabelmans, Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple. Honestly, it’s an embarrassment of riches.
The Amblin Man also gives many big names their big break. One of Vince Vaughn’s earliest roles was in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Amy Adams first came to most people’s attention for her performance in Catch Me If You Can. Then there’s Christian Bale, who starred in Empire of the Sun, Spielberg’s tale of Japanese prisoners of war during World War II, when he was just a child.
Whilst a lot has changed for Bale in the years since 1987, according to the director, he still has a lot in common with his pre-teen self. “I take great pride in young actors who started off doing films with me and have then made careers for themselves,” Spielberg told Female First (via The Hindustan Times). “Nothing Christian Bale does has ever failed to impress me. He is fearless and he was fearless when he was 12 years old. I am impressed more and more with each role he takes. But in a quiet place in my own life I’ll say, ‘That’s my boy.’”
Bale plays Jim Graham, a British boy from a wealthy family living in Shanghai. When the Japanese army occupies the city, he moves to an internment camp, befriending captive soldiers and experiencing the horrors of war firsthand. The film rarely comes up in discussions of Spielberg’s work, often getting lost in the shuffle of his other 80s hits, but it’s a fantastic watch. Spielberg works best with stories viewed through the eyes of a child and Bale gives a phenomenal performance despite his young age.
Empire of the Sun, which failed to make a splash at the US box office but was a hit overseas, also features a young Ben Stiller. The comedian has gone on to say that his experiences on the movie helped inspired another movie with a war theme – Tropic Thunder.
As is the unfortunate case with most child actors, Bale didn’t immediately reap the benefits of this success. His next major role was in the Disney musical Newsies, which bombed hard and undid all of the good will amassed by Empire of the Sun. He bounced back a little bit with his stint as Laurie in the 1994 adaptation of Little Women, but wouldn’t become a true star until he stepped into the blood-splattered shoes of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.
Even though he’s gone on to become a bonafide draw and an excellent performer, Bale has yet to re-team with Spielberg for another movie. Given the special role he had in making his career, you’d have thought that the director would have been eager to work with his former protegee again. However, as every good parent knows, there comes a time when you have to let them stand on their own two feet.
