The story of how David Bowie convinced Christian Bale’s mother he’d finally made it as an actor
It wasn’t until two decades into Christian Bale‘s career that his mother was convinced her son was a certifiable star, even though there was already a body of work stacked up that said otherwise.
As far as beginnings go, Bale making his second-ever appearance in a feature film as the top-billed name and main character in a Steven Spielberg movie was about as high-profile as breakthrough roles for youngsters go. However, the real trick was being able to maintain that early Empire of the Sun momentum.
He continued working solidly and gathering notable roles in the likes of Gillian Armstrong’s Little Women, Disney’s animated Pocahontas, Todd Haynes’ Velvet Goldmine, and Michael Hoffman’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Eventually, with Patrick Bateman and American Psycho, he delivered his true breakthrough as an adult.
From there, Bale’s profile kept on rising as he showcased his boundless versatility, encapsulated by his emaciated turn in Brad Anderson’s The Machinist, which was released in a matter of months. He then played one of the most iconic characters in all of pop culture as the main attraction of Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins.
Despite quite literally embodying a superhero known and loved the world over, his old dear still wasn’t convinced. Batman may not have convinced the matriarch of the Bale clan that he was well on his way to achieving greatness, but his next collaboration with Nolan certainly did the trick.
The Prestige captivated with its literal, metaphorical, and thematic sleight of hand, pitting Bale’s Alfred Borden against Hugh Jackman’s Robert Angier in a game of one-upmanship that leaves a trail of devastation in its wake. As the actor explained to Empire, though, it was another member of the ensemble that won his mother over.
“When I told her I was in the same film as David Bowie, she said, ‘Oh, finally you’re doing an important film!'” he shared. “I said, ‘Well, I have worked with Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman…’ and she was like, ‘But this is David Bowie!’ And I don’t even have a scene with him!” You couldn’t write the script for momma Bale celebrating her son’s arrival as a true thespian the moment he ended up in the same film as Bowie, only for the two of them to never share the screen.
It took some effort on Nolan’s part to secure the iconic musician as Nikola Tesla after he revealed that he was flat-out rejected when he first gauged Bowie’s interest. “He turned down the part the first time,” he said. Nolan wasn’t used to being rejected, but he refused to give up. “It was the only time I can ever remember trying again with an actor who passed on me.”
Bowie eventually relented and signed on, but if he hadn’t, then perhaps Bale’s mother would still be waiting for his big break to finally come.
