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Christian Bale rose to stardom with his 2000 movie,American Psycho. Before his role in the Mary Harron-directed film, Bale had begun his career as a teenage star and later mostly appeared in ensemble films. Bale nearly missed out on his role as Patrick Bateman in the film, as Leonardo DiCaprio was offered the role despite Harron’s insistence on casting theDark Knightactor. However, when DiCaprio left the project, the role landed back to Bale.
The Machinistactor’s other release in 2000 was the Samuel L. Jackson-led film,Shaft. Bale played the villainous character, Walter Wade, Jr., a wealthy real estate heir who committed a heinous crime and used his influence to throw away the case. Bale later revealed that he was frustrated while working onShaft.
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Christian Bale Was Frustrated WithShaftFor This One Reason
Christian Bale’sShaftreceived a warm reception from the audience in theaters and went on to gross $107 million at the box office. However, theFord v. Ferrariactor was a little dissatisfied working on this film. During an interview with EW in 2000, Bale opened up about his frustration in doing ensemble films likeShaft. TheBatman Beginsactor was asked how he felt about his breakthrough role inAmerican Psycho. Bale responded toEW:
“It is an important role for me. Rather than being just a part in a film, essentially BEING the film meant an awful lot to me. I’m really enjoying that. Frankly, I found it a little bit frustrating doing ‘Shaft’ because I’m back to being one part in a very big film.”
After his successful performance as a sole leading actor, it was obvious that theThor: Love and Thunderactor didn’t want to step back into supporting roles. However, his commitment toShaftpreceded the release ofAmerican Psycho, and theAmerican Hustleactor fulfilled his obligation to act in the film despite his newfound star status.
About hisShaftrole, Bale shared that he was the “bad” bad guy in the film among all the other antagonists. He even shared that his final scene in the film took place on the steps of a courthouse, suggesting that his character couldn’t ultimately evade justice. Some of theViceactor’s scenes were edited out from the film in favor of other actors, including a fight scene, which highlighted Bale’s issue with ensemble films.
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Christian Bale Counted onAmerican PsychoRole, Rejecting Other Roles
Christian Bale was on cloud nine after Mary Harron suggested him for theAmerican Psychorole. However, his excitement was short-lived when the shocking news came that he and director Mary Harron had been replaced byLeonardo DiCaprioandOliver Stone. However, Bale still carried hope that the role might come back to him. TheAmsterdamactor even refused to take up any other roles in the meantime.The Prestigeactor shared withEW:
“Everybody around me was like, forget it! You’re getting fixated on this. And I wouldn’t. With any other script that came in, I’d say, ‘Well look, I quite like it but no, because ‘American Psycho’ might come up. I’m not risking it.’ I just refused to admit that it wouldn’t happen.”
Eventually, both DiCaprio and Stone left the project due to creative differences. Harron was hired back as the director, who this time made sure that Bale was cast as the notorious Patrick Bateman.American Psychogrossed $34 million against a $7 million budget and was praised for its theme and Bale’s performance. The film gained a cult following over the years.
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Shaftis now available for streaming on Paramount Plus, whileAmerican Psychois now available for streaming on Peacock Premium.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3017
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
