“The best of his generation”, according to Werner Herzog
Some actors have shown immense talent from an incredibly young age, starting them on a path to success before they’ve even had the chance to live a normal childhood. For Christian Bale, a few TV commercials would lead him to the theatre and then to a made-for-television film. Then, at the age of 13, he would end up securing a part that would prove to be his entry into Hollywood, changing his life forever.
Bale was cast in the leading role of Jamie in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun and earned critical praise for his performance. Despite his lack of training, Bale proved himself to be an incredible actor, his skills seemingly coming naturally. Over the next few years, he earned some more notable roles, such as the lead in Newsies, which saw him put his years of ballet to good use.
By the mid-to-late ‘90s, Bale’s career had accelerated rapidly. After playing the charming Laurie in Little Women, he lent his voice to Disney’s Pocahontas, channelled his inner rock star in Velvet Goldmine and performed some Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Yet, one of his most recognisable roles came in 2000 when he was chosen to play Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.
The studio was interested in having Leonardo DiCaprio in the main role and eventually cast him. Mary Harron, the director, was not happy with this decision, believing that Bale was the only one who could play Bateman, recognising his versatility. Yet, she was fired after refusing to direct DiCaprio, who was adored for roles in Romeo + Juliet and Titanic – Harron just couldn’t see him as the stone-cold murderer. In the end, Harron and Bale were allowed to go ahead with the project, and the result was perfect. It’s hard to imagine anyone else as Bateman, with Bale effortlessly embodying terror and emptiness with heavy doses of satire.
This role allowed him to become one of the industry’s most talked-about stars. Within a few years, he landed the part of Batman in Christopher Nolan’s series and continued to secure high-profile roles. Yet, just before he agreed to play the iconic superhero, there was a European director who recognised his brilliance and did all he could to get Bale into his upcoming movie.
Werner Herzog, the German filmmaker who rose to prominence in the ‘70s, instantly knew that he needed to work with Bale. He cast him in his movie Rescue Dawn, which Herzog hoped would expose him to a wider, more mainstream audience. Bale agreed to star in the epic war film, and while it was critically acclaimed, it’s typically overshadowed in the context of his career.
Herzog told ONTD, “What drew me to Christian is that he is the best of his generation.” Out of Bale’s contemporaries, like DiCaprio and Keanu Reeves, Herzog clearly saw something in Bale that he didn’t grasp in the others. Bale’s ability to be charming one second and frighteningly emotionless the next minute is a real skill; he seems to be capable of mastering any genre he decides to work within. “It was instantly clear that he was the guy,” Herzog explained.
“There’s casting where there’s absolutely no question. He was onboard long before he was chosen for Batman. I said to him, ‘No matter what, you have to be Dieter, and if you’re not going to be Dieter, I don’t want to make the film.’” Luckily for Herzog, Bale was onboard. Rescue Dawn might have been a box-office bomb, but Herzog was more than happy to work with an actor he considered one of the best.
