Why Christian Bale will never direct a movie: “I am kind of a loner”
Cinema has seen many great actors become even better directors; just look at Clint Eastwood’s monumental filmmaking career, or Charles Laughton, who directed just one movie, The Night of the Hunter, and it became an absolute classic.
Not every actor finds the same success, though, like when Sean Penn made The Last Face, and Nicolas Cage directed Sonny, proving that not every pro performer is destined for a life behind the camera, yet it seems like some see their success on screen as evidence that they should be directors, too.
Luckily, there are a few who aren’t blinded by their success, like Christian Bale, who knows for certain that being a director isn’t for him. In fact, he has turned down people’s suggestions that he should direct, knowing that he’s just not cut out for such a forward-facing and demanding job, one that means you have a lot of people to take care of.
Not only do directors have this incredible vision that they must painstakingly bring to life, but then there’s a whole crew to deal with, from the producers and the cinematographer to the actors and the set designers. And what about the runners and the countless other people who have to come together to get a movie’s production off the ground?
Bale knows he’s just not enough of a people person to be able to put on a brave face for everyone involved in a production. During an interview with The Talks, the actor revealed why he just wouldn’t be right for the job.
He admitted, “Directors tell me I should direct because the questions I am asking are the questions that they are asking, rather than the questions that they expect to come from an actor. I do get that a lot. But there’s a great difference between being able to stand there and make suggestions when it ultimately doesn’t stop at you versus when it does.”
He explained why it wouldn’t work for him in the director’s chair, adding, “I think my issue with directing would probably be that I am kind of a loner. I like being responsible for myself”.
Bale knows that he just doesn’t have the energy these days to boss a whole production around, and he’d rather do his part as an actor and then go home. “I am not sure how long I could last having to answer to so many different people,” he said, “I don’t know if I would like doing that job. I like just being in charge of what I am doing, and that’s it.”
It takes a certain kind of person to become a director, one who doesn’t mind the chaos of juggling both the practical and the creative side of things all at once. You’ve got to be good under pressure and, in most cases, able to compromise and deal with the demands of a studio clashing with your own artistic impulses. That’s a lot of work and mental strain, and Bale is smart enough to know that being in front of the camera suits him much better.
