Within the first few minutes of the opening scene of The Fighter, it becomes very hard to dispute that Christian Bale steals the movie as Dicky Edlund; the crack-addicted former pro boxer trying to hold on to his past glory, even as his brother Micky (played by Mark Whalberg) develops opportunities to pursue his own shot at the title. Bale's performance is a complete stand-out that elevates the film to higher levels the longer he appears, and it is the first shining example of how his adopted method approach to acting is finally realized and understood by an audience. On January 25th, 2010, Bale received his first ever Academy Award nomination for the role.
Early Roles, And Dedication
Bale, born in the United Kingdom on January 30th, 1974, was selected by none other than director Steven Spielberg to be the young lead in Spielberg's WWII picture Empire Of The Sun in 1987. Throughout the 1990's Bale continued to make appearances in films like Newsies, and Swing Kids, but it would not be until 2000's American Psycho that Bale once again became noticed as an impressive acting talent when he portrayed narcissist/serial-killer Patrick Bateman. It was a role that began to hint of what kind of physical, as well as mental dedication Bale would bring to a character:
"The character is so vain and obsessed with his looks. While the psychology of the character was something that I could perform, you can't fake the physicality. Being English, I tend to enjoy going down to the pub far more than going to the gym, so it was very unnatural for me. I just had to convince myself that I loved it, which was the most difficult thing about playing this part. Working out is incredibly boring. I did three hours a day for six weeks with a personal trainer and some time before that. I ate an awful lot during training and then almost nothing during filming" - Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com)
From Living Skeleton, to Caped Crusader...
That physical dedication to a part would carry on to a film known as The Machinist in 2004, in which Bale lost a staggering 63 lbs. and looked on the verge of death as skeletal blue-collar worker Trevor Reznik . Many believed his preparation and commitment to the role should have generated some accolades, and while The Machinist did bring Bale some critical acclaim, it was not enough to get him on any awards' radar.
The noteworthy performance caught the eye of director Christopher Nolan (Memento) who had been tasked with envisioning the Batman franchise in whole new, realistic light with 2005's Batman Begins. Bale was more than happy to jump on board as the caped crusader and give the character a legitimacy not yet tackled in any previous version. The role also required Bale to rapidly gain back all the weight he had lost for The Machinist and pack on additional muscle that the character required:
"I think there's a great potential for going very dark with it, it's a fascinating character, very complex psychologically, which I've never seen done." - Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com)
The Calm Before The Storm
The collaboration between Bale and Nolan led to huge success for the film (although some fans questioned his aggressive growly voice while wearing the cowl), and the two continued to work with one another in Nolan's 2006 film The Prestige (which saw Bale play an obsessed illusionist), and 2008's blockbuster Batman sequel, The Dark Knight.
But during the press tour for Knight, Bale came under scrutiny when a family argument erupted at a hotel in London, and the actor was arrested for verbal assault allegations. He was later released without charges. To compound things, a recording of an on-set tirade by Bale during the filming of Terminator Salvation was released virally in 2009 (directed at a crewmember who allegedly kept walking into Bale's line of sight while filming a scene), firmly placing Bale under a media microscope and projected to the public as someone who may have severe anger management issues. Was it a moment of justified rage, or something much deeper embedded into Bale's method approach to the character?:
"It wouldn't have happened if we hadn't been playing that scene between John Connor and his wife, which is probably the most intense one in the movie...I'd definitely say that that guy who was yelling was at least half John Connor, and the rest was Christian Bale" - Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com)
Credit Where Credit Is Due
When Bale took the role of Dicky Ward in Mark Wahlberg's passion project, 2010's The Fighter, he once again lost a considerable amount of weight to achieve Dicky's slender frame. But the performance is much more than just Bale's physical transformation. When you watch The Fighter entirely (catching the real Dicky Ward in the end credits), you quickly realize how immersive and chameleon-like Bale portrayed the character through mannerisms and dialogue. It is a masterful acting accomplishment, and has since helped Bale get the critical and public appreciation that he has deserved for so long.
In an interview with Spin magazine in 1996, Bale once said: "An actor should never be larger than the film he's in."
Although a commendable statement, it's hard to not think of The Fighter without Bale's contribution. His acting process and methods may still be hard to understand for some, but his continued work on the screen proves he is one of the best working in the business today.
Ryan Young - Ryan Young is a Film and Sports article/review writer, based in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.
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