“I’m not a method actor”: who exactly is Christian Bale trying to kid?
Method acting has divided movie fans, critics, and actors for years, with the question of how necessary and ethical it is still standing. If an actor has to use method acting to truly get into the mind of the character, are they as talented as one who doesn’t? It’s not as black and white as this, however, with some actors using method acting lightly – perhaps undergoing short exercises in character off-set or temporarily speaking in the accent required for their role – while others take it to the extreme.
Daniel-Day Lewis is well known for his method acting, like when he made crew members carry him and feed him while he was playing a man with cerebral palsy in My Left Foot. Some people find this technique impressive – but really, it’s not hard to see why many people just think it equates to acting like a bit of a dick. Should we respect someone’s ultimate dedication to their art, or should the actor have the decency to not make other people’s jobs considerably more difficult?
While many actors admit to method acting to prepare them for their roles, Christian Bale claims that he is “not a method actor”. Yet, we’re not convinced. The actor was once asked by Movie Fone about the ways he gets into character, to which Bale replied, “I don’t know what I do. I don’t have any particular way of doing it. I make it up each time with every job.”
He continued, “I begin each job going, ‘Oh my God, someone hired me again.’ I don’t even know what I’m doing. I never really trained, so I don’t really have a particular technique. People often say, ‘Oh, Bale, he’s a method actor.’ I’m not a method actor. I would’ve had to train to do that. I just do whatever is necessary for each and every day.”
Sure, Bale might not method act for every performance, but he has certainly opted for the technique on various occasions. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Bale’s American Psycho co-star Chloë Sevigny revealed that she found his process of embodying the cold-hearted yuppie killer Patrick Bateman “challenging,” explaining, “I wanted a little more generosity to make myself feel more at ease, which is my own ego. It was a really challenging dynamic for me, but I don’t think that I thought he was bad. I was just kind of confused, like, ‘Why aren’t you being social?’”
Additionally, when it came to The Machinist, Bale dropped 63 pounds, while he put on 40 pounds for Vice, which left him practically unrecognisable. In 2005, he appeared in Harsh Times, which made the director, David Ayer, slightly scared by his method acting. He claimed, “He was basically in character the whole shoot. I know he took it home with him, and it didn’t make the wife too happy.”
He added, “The final shot, we wrap and, all of a sudden, it’s Christian Bale again. I realised the guy I thought I was hanging out with for the past month-plus didn’t exist. It was really weird, shocking, amazing, frightening… But I think that’s his gift.”
So, clearly, Bale does use method acting, and it’s unclear why he won’t admit to it. Perhaps it’s because he only resorts to it when he feels it is “necessary” that Bale doesn’t believe he is a method actor, per se. It’s time he admits that he isn’t against the technique, as controversial as it can be, because, judging by his acclaimed performances, it works well for him.
