The “toxic” 2006 shoot Christian Bale loved every moment of: “Bring on the crazy”
As anyone who had access to the internet around 2009 will know, Christian Bale had something of a… ‘moment’ while filming the ‘not really very good’ sci-fi sequel Terminator Salvation, a moment in which he lost his temper, to put it incredibly mildly.
Thanks to a quick-thinking crew member, we were treated to the audio of Bale having a complete Hollywood meltdown on set when the cinematographer on the film dared to walk past the actor while he was in full character mode, leading to an apoplectic display of rage after which he threatened to quit if his nemesis wasn’t fired immediately.
Although Bale later apologised for his rant, during which he threatened to trash lights and called the cinematographer a prick and an amateur, it has gone down as an example of an actor, admittedly one who was probably under a bit of pressure on a massive movie, totally losing the plot in quite spectacular fashion.
Given Bale’s reputation for being on the volatile side, certainly when he was in his 30s, you can imagine there might have been a few nervous eyebrows raised when he was paired with one of the more mercurial directors in the business, Werner Herzog, on 2006’s war drama Rescue Dawn.
Herzog, after all, is the German filmmaker who, while directing 1972’s Aguirre, the Wrath of God, fell out so severely with the genuinely mental lead actor Klaus Kinski that he responded to Kinski’s threat to walk off the movie by picking up a rifle and telling him that if he did so, he would put eight bullets in him and save the ninth for himself. Not someone to be trifled with, essentially.
So it’s perhaps surprising that Bale actually reported the opposite experience while making the epic, the true story of a US pilot shot down and captured by villagers during the Vietnam War. Asked by GQ if he worried about getting on the wrong side of Herzog, Bale answered: “Not at all. In fact, I relished the opportunity. If anything, I wanted to see more of that legendary temper – bring on the crazy.”
“I do think of Werner as a kindred spirit, and I love so much of what he strives for. He can be the kindest of souls and then the most cantankerous man you’ve ever come across.”
Christian Bale on Werner Herzog
In fact, if anything, despite being stuck in a jungle in Thailand surrounded by snakes and armed guards, the relationship between the two men seemed to develop into some kind of contest, with Bale adding: “The thing with Werner is that he won’t be outdone by anyone else, especially not his lead actor. On set, he would be diving into rock pools, crawling headfirst over rapids – all entirely unnecessary. But we enjoyed trying to outdo one another.”
It may not be the case, though, that the happy competition experienced by Bale was reflected by the rest of the people involved in the film, with some crew members describing the atmosphere as toxic and Bale admitting that half of them quit at one point.
And really, it may all have been for nothing. When Rescue Dawn was released, it was a box office failure, costing the studio millions, although it did fare reasonably well with critics.
