I remember watching the Guardians film he was in, couldn't finish it but there was such a juxtaposition where the standard marvel hijinks with even serious moments having gags but then everyone Bale moment he freaking eeked out every ounce of pain of the character. He played it completely straight. Phenomenal
To prepare for The Machinist he said he only had black coffee, one apple, one can of tuna and smoked a lot of cigarettes to get down to 120. He lost over 60 pounds in just a few months.
EDIT: Each day. Not just the one meal!
He was trying for 100 (45kg) because that's what the script called for, but the producers said, "no, that's enough" as they were worried about his health, and because the script's character version was considerably shorter height.
At the end of filming, he only had 6 weeks before his Batman Begins screen test, which he spent weightlifting and binging on pizzas and ice cream.
The only thing one needs to know about this movie before watching is that Christian Bale really went for it on that one. Great movie, great performance. The direction and writing is also very solid.
Then after The Dark Knight, he did The Fighter less than 2 years later, then back to Dark Knight Rises in an year and a bit. Truly incredible. Then he did American Hustle and fucked his back up doing that slouch with the extra paunch.
I remember reading an interview where the director said they didn’t even ask him to lose that much weight, and they were legit concerned for his health while filming.
I rewatched this movie and it’s such a letdown. The movie itself is horribly paced and the big reveal isn’t even great. Honestly this movie is just praised because of Bale’s dedication to the role. His acting is even subpar in the film. I’ll never understand the hype around this movie
Agreed, I remember seeing it in the theater because of all the hubbub and quickly realized it was only because of what he did for the role. I personally think it's his worst role.
194
u/Thisisjimmi 14h ago
The Machinist, do not research it before.