The madness behind Christian Bale’s method: “I’m a giant dumbass”
Few actors bring the kind of intensity to the screen that Christian Bale does. From his role as Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight Trilogy to American Psycho, and from his Oscar-winning performance in The Fighter to his transformation in Vice, Bale is known for fully immersing himself in every character. Add to that his infamous on-set outburst during Terminator: Salvation, and it’s easy to see why he has a serious reputation.
But according to most of his co-stars—and Bale himself—he’s actually an extremely funny guy. His “method” approach on set isn’t about being difficult; it’s something he uses for a very different reason than people might think.
Bale’s reputation had already been set by the time he starred in American Hustle and Out of the Furnace in 2013, two movies that predictably featured ferocious, captivating performances from the star. When he sat down for an interview with Variety, though, the interviewer quickly pointed out how different he seemed from his screen persona in real life. For one thing, he was a jokester with a fine line between self-deprecating humour and a penchant for the absurd – and his co-stars in both films backed up that this is his default setting.
“It’s usually hard to meet your heroes,” Bale’s American Hustle co-star Bradley Cooper said. “There’s a fear they won’t live up to your hopes. But he far exceeded my expectations. He’s giving and natural and someone who loves to laugh.”
Amy Adams concurred, saying, “He’s funny. Really, really funny.”
Zoe Saldana, who starred in Out of the Furnace, also giggled when she recalled a Q&A event in which Bale pointed out a man wearing a T-shirt with the word “wanker” emblazoned on it. In the middle of answering a question about the film, Bale stopped dead in his tracks and joked, “I want to know something. Are you from England, or are you trying to tell us something with that shirt?”
Everyone in the room burst into hysterics, and Saldana smiled, “He was totally joking, and I was very happy to see that side, to actually finally meet Christian.”
The implication of Saldana’s comment here is important because she indicates that she didn’t encounter Bale properly until they were promoting the film. In truth, this is what many actors have said about the star because he stays in-character between takes when working on a movie. However, according to Bale, it’s not out of any dedication to method acting—it’s to stop himself from cracking up on-set.
“I tend to stay in character between scenes, to be rather serious on set,” Bale admitted. “But here’s why, and I think people will find it surprising. I’m one of the worst ‘corpses’ on a movie set, which means you can’t keep a straight face. You start to get the giggles, and you can’t stop. I never want to step out of a scene and be objective because as soon as I do, I find it hilarious.”
Yes, that’s right: the madness behind Bale’s method is that he needs to stay 100% in the zone; otherwise, he becomes aware of the absurdity of his surroundings. To him, “acting is kind of a hilarious thing for a grown man to call a job,” and if he steps outside of himself for even a moment, that hilarity is laid bare. So, as much as he can, he stays within the fictional worlds of his characters – and that helps him ignore the nagging thought that “I find what I do for a living really funny.”
Ultimately, Bale’s method of acting as a barrier to finding the entire craft of acting distractingly amusing is certainly unusual, but it’s fairly in keeping with what we know about the star. After all, he’s the first to admit, “I’m a giant dumbass” who has “no clues, no plans, no giant scheme.”
