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Playing a role as legendary as Batman appears to be a no-brainer, but the men who have portrayed him have different opinions. However, Christian Bale discusses why he was unconcerned about being typecast as Batman following Christopher Nolan’sDark Knight trilogy.
Christian Bale began his career as a child actor in many high-profile films in the late 1980s, including Steven Spielberg’sEmpire of the Sunand Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespeare adaptionHenry V. Although his role as Patrick Bateman inAmerican Psychoin 1999 significantly boosted his career, he was still a risky choice to play the legendary caped crusader when Nolan hired him inBatman Begins, as his potential success remained still unknown.
Also Read:Christian Bale Received Death Threats For Deciding to Film ‘American Psycho’ Only to Take Them Head On Because He Was Into the Character
The role of Batman had been taboo for other actors
Before Bale, Batman has gone through multiple big-screen adaptations with considerably more well-known movie stars as protagonists. Michael Keaton was at the peak of his career following roles inMr. MomandBeetlejuicewhen he was cast in Tim Burton’s version ofBatman.
Michael Keaton, who portrayed the part inBatmanandBatman Returns, likewise seemed to have battled with the role’s repercussions. In his 2014 leading return role inBirdman, he portrayed an actor who couldn’t shake his image as the person from the Birdman flicks. There’s a lot going on in the film, but the similarity between Birdman and Batman is difficult to overlook.
Ben Affleck, who took over the role of Gotham’s masked vigilante followingChristian Bale, was the most recent actor to stand aside from the role, doing so before even getting his own solo film, and passing the cape and cowl over to Robert Pattinson. Affleck did not go into great detail about the decision but stated in an interview in January that while he was“not blaming anyone,”he ultimately did not feel satisfied in the part.“I didn’t like being there. I didn’t think it was interesting.”
Related:“He was absolutely killing it”: Christian Bale Was Worried During ‘The Dark Knight’ Filming, Told Chris Nolan That Heath Ledger Was Making Him Look Dull in the Movie
When Christian Bale was offered the lead part inBatman Begins, everyone around him advised him it wasn’t worth it because of the risk of typecasting. As Bale stated in an interview:“Other people also said, ‘Hey, you know, if you play Batman, that’s it. You’re never gonna play anything else again. You will always be Batman.'”Christian Bale only had one thing to say to them,‘Bring it on.’
People criticized Nolan’s more realistic Batman at first, but theDark Knight trilogyreceived overwhelming critical praise and is widely recognized as many fans’ favorite take on the character.
Christian Bale became one of the A-list actors in Hollywood post-Batman trilogy
Christian Bale has never flinched away from a challenge, and he’s taken on several challenging parts throughout his career. There are the gossip aspects of Bale’s intensive method of acting, such as his drastic weight gain and reduction of parts. He weighed 120 pounds for his role as a haunted factory worker in 2004’sThe Machinist,and over 225 pounds for roles in 2013’sAmerican Hustleand 2018’sVice.
Aside from that, he fills his parts with a strong emotional commitment, bringing the same gravitas to portraying a soldier detained in a Vietnamese POW camp inRescue Dawnas he does to playing a villain in a highly stylized Marvel film likeThor: Love and Thunder.BetweenThe Dark KnightandThe Dark Knight Rises, Bale received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance inThe Fighteras the squirrely, crack-addicted former boxer Dicky Eklund.
Also Read:“They threw away their conscience for this?”: David O. Russell’s ‘Amsterdam’ Bombs With 33% RT Rating, Fans Troll Margot Robbie and Christian Bale For Working With Abusive Director to Produce a Disaster
The actor has a great sense of humor and doesn’t thrive just at drama, as seen by some of his more quirky work with director David O. Russell and his highly sarcastic appearance inAmerican Psycho.Bale’s portrayal of Batman will be remembered fondly, both for his coldly hollowed-out take on Bruce Wayne and his rage-fueled vigilante alter-ego with an enviable voice. Bale has more than demonstrated that being the hero will be only one of many roles he is remembered for in the future.
Source:Films Guild
Rishav Deb Roy
Articles Published :142
Rishav Deb Roy is currently pursuing his graduate degree in Cost and Management Accounts from Chandigarh University and he is also a budding Chartered Accountant aspirant. He has always been passionate about writing and has been honing his skills since a very early age. He uses his writing skills to help businesses create compelling content that engages and informs their audiences. Rishav says he has a passion to research on many things, especially anything related to pop culture. He’s been following them since a very early age and is eager to work on them. Currently, he is working as a Content Writer at Fandomwire.
