The only role Christian Bale couldn’t let go of: “I had nightmares and hallucinations”
Over the course of his career, Christian Bale has developed an intense reputation as someone fiercely dedicated to his performances.
The term “method acting” is never far behind when talk turns to the depths Bale will plumb when perfecting a role, even though it’s not quite an accurate description of his process. However, his bespoke technique has meant certain roles have left lasting impressions on him, both mentally and physically – with one in particular being incredibly hard to let go of. In fact, it was the only part that caused Bale to experience nightmares and hallucinations.
In 2019, Matt Damon was interviewed about starring with Bale in Ford vs Ferrari, and he addressed the rumours that Bale goes full “method”. Conan O’Brien asked if Bale was the type of actor who insisted on being addressed by his character’s name and stayed in character between takes. Matt Damon quickly dispelled this notion, clarifying that while Bale maintained his character’s accent and physicality on set, it was purely a matter of practicality, not delusion.
Damon laughed, “It’s not like I say, ‘How is Christian Bale doing?’ and he goes, ‘I don’t know who that is. I’m Ken Miles,’” before adding, “That would just mean he’s crazy.”
Interestingly, even though Bale isn’t a classic method actor, his process can sometimes be hard to leave behind. For example, he famously lost 62 pounds to play insomniac Trevor Reznik in The Machinist, leaving him frighteningly skeletal. He then bulked up rapidly for Batman Begins, only to get too big, which required him to slim down again while simultaneously working out to achieve the ideal superhero physique.
Naturally, these wild fluctuations in weight wreaked havoc on Bale’s body, and he admitted in 2012 that he may have gotten a little carried away in his pursuit of character perfection. He told GQ, “The weight loss in The Machinist is a clear example. I would say, in hindsight, that perhaps I went a little too far. Not in a way that was particularly dangerous, but it certainly got, shall we say, interesting, in ways that friends and family noticed – and didn’t particularly enjoy.”
In that same interview, Bale admitted that these physical and mental transformations often linger with him long after he finishes shooting a film. “For me, just because you finish filming and the sets are dismantled, and you go home, it can be a difficult, long process to find your normal self again,” he confessed. “Will some deep part of you be altered indefinitely? Sure.” In truth, Bale wishes he could be the sort of actor who can “switch it on and off like a lamp,” but that’s not what works for him. To do his best work, he needs to invest much more of himself than some other actors.
Indeed, this is precisely what happened when Bale found himself waking up every night with nightmares and vivid hallucinations the whole time he was working on a 1999 TV movie. He had pushed himself so hard while playing Jesus Christ in the little-seen NBC film Mary, Mother of Jesus, that he would wake at night with the feeling that something was dripping onto his palms.
He told Ramp Style, “I woke up and looked at the ceiling to see if there was any water dripping down from there – but there was nothing. But then it started dripping again, and it only stopped when I put both hands under the blanket.” Bale was adamant that he’s never experienced such a thing since – only while playing Jesus.
Fascinatingly, Bale also spoke of this bizarre experience in 2000 when he was promoting his breakthrough role as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Amazingly, he went straight from playing that ’80s serial killer to portraying the Son of God in direct succession – but only one role made him have bad dreams. He admitted, “I can’t say I felt queasy once making this movie. I slept really well. I played Jesus in this TV thing after doing American Psycho. I had nightmares the whole time like I haven’t had since I was 10 years old.”
He grinned: “I was waking up going ‘Aaaaaahh!’, rubbing my palms in the middle of the night, heart going. But Patrick Bateman? Nothing.”
