Oscar winnerChristian Baleis one of the best, most committed actors working today, earning this reputation due to theextraordinary level of commitmentthat he has shown in each of his most famous roles. One of Bale’s most impressive qualities is his ability and willingness to lose and gain excessive amounts of weight for a role. Despite dropping to an unhealthy body mass inThe FighterandThe Machinist, Bale was able to put on the additional weight to play (literally) oversized figures inAmerican HustleandVice. There aren’t many roles out there that are more demanding of an actor than Batman, but Bale’s weight actually created some difficulties on set when he was cast as Bruce Wayne for the first time inChristopher Nolan’sBatman Begins.
Batman Begins
After witnessing his parents' deaths, Bruce learns the art of fighting to confront injustice. When he returns to Gotham as Batman, he must stop a secret society that intends to destroy the city.
Christian Bale Gained Too Much Weight To Be Batman
After dropping 60 poundsin order to play Trevor Reznik inThe Machinist, Bale’s body was more vulnerable than it had ever been before. Bale had been on a diet of one apple, coffee, and water per day, and had begun smoking and drinking whisky to lose even more weight. This ended up being extremely detrimental to his health, and the issue grew to the point that the film’s producers were concerned about their star’s physical fitness after he completed production on the film.Prior toThe Machinist, Bale had proven that he could get to peak fitness levels forAmerican Psycho, and he needed to get back to a normal weight if he was ever going to star in another film. Bale was going to need to bulk up even more significantly if he was ever going to be convincing as the Dark Knight of Gotham City.
The role of Bruce Wayne inBatman Beginswas one that many of Hollywood’s top leading men were searching for.Billy CrudupandJake Gyllenhaalwere among the top contenders to take on the role in what would be the first live-action Batman movie since 1997’sBatman & Robin.Christopher Nolan was also proving himselfas one of the industry’s most talented directors, and after the success ofMementoandInsomnia, actors were keen to work with such rising talent. Bale has seemingly made it a priority to work with nearly all the greatest directors of their respective eras (working withSteven Spielbergas a child set an extraordinary precedent for him), and Nolan was the next on his list. Bale worked hard to get the role, but unfortunately,he worked a littletoohard.
Bale had to be able to realistically fit into the Batsuit and look realistic during the scenes where Bruce is training with the League of Shadows and Ra’s Al Ghul (Liam Neeson).Bale trained in Wing Chun Kung Fuwith the martial arts trainerEric Oram, and had mastered the art of combat to preparefor the training scenesand extended action sequences in the film. However, he ended up gaining an extra 100 lbs. in muscle to bulk up, which ended up being 30 lbs. too much for what Nolan had in mind. Nolan grew concerned that Bale would no longer be able to fit within the Batsuit, and had to drop those 30 lbs. before filming began.
Christian Bale Transformed His Weight for ‘American Hustle’ and ‘Vice’
It wouldn’t be the first time that Bale made extraordinary changes to his body. After dropping some weight in order to star as a starved prisoner-of-war inWerner Herzog’s Vietnam War epicRescue Dawn, Bale had to do additional training in preparation for the more complex stunt work inThe Dark Knight. It wasn’t muscle that he would keep for long, as Bale subsequently dropped the added muscle and more weight again in order to play thedrug-addicted boxing trainerDicky Edluand inThe Fighter. His dramatic transformation didn’t fall upon faint praise by Bale’s fellow actors within the industry, as his role inThe Fighterwon him his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Bale’s weight loss may have impressed his peers, but he had to once again bulk up sothat he could begin filmingThe Dark Knight Rises.
Tom Cruise Inspired Christian Bale’s Performance in ‘American Psycho’
“Impressive, very nice.”
Ever since, it’s been a constant state of being up and down. He became obese to work withDavid O. Russellagain forAmerican Hustle, and added the muscle back forRidley Scott’sExodus: Gods and Kings.He gained weight againfor the role ofDick CheneyinVice, then went above and beyond losing weight forFord v. Ferrari. His co-starMatt Damonnoted thatBale had “a monk-like discipline that’s just really impressive to see.” There appears to be a limit to his commitment. During the promotional campaign forFord v. Ferrari, Bale admitted that he wasgoing to stop transforming his bodydue to the toll it took on his physical and mental health.
Christian Bale Was an Excellent Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Trilogy
While Bale’s commitment is unprecedented. Gaining or losing weight alone does not guarantee a great performance. The physicality is only one part of the reason that Christian Bale was a great Batman. He showed more insight into Bruce’s psychology than had ever been seen on the big screen before. WhileMichael Keaton’s performance inBatmanandBatman Returnswas terrific, the two films never really delved into Bruce’s origin story in an extensive way. Bale had to show how a heartbroken child recovering from a family tragedy grew into his destiny as the savior of an entire city.
Bale’s maturity in the role solidified him as one of the best actors to ever play Batman.Ben Affleckcertainly captured some of Bale’s brooding nature, andRobert Pattinsonmanaged to explorea similar dynamic between Bruce and his loyal butler Alfred (Andy Serkis). However, neither star found the same blend of vulnerability and confidence that Bale had brought to the screen. It’s among the many reasons why The Dark Knighttrilogy continues to age well in an era where so many comic book movies are completely disposable.
Batman Beginsis available to watch on Max in the U.S.
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