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Very few actors are as talented as the legendary Christian Bale. Being perhaps one of the most dedicated and talented actors in the industry, he is known for fully immersing himself in the roles he plays regardless of the personal cost, spending months upon months just for preparation, and trying to understand the psychology of his characters. Some of his most notable projects, likeAmerica Psycho, The Machinist, The Prestige, andFord v Ferrari, can easily showcase these skills that the actor possesses, proving that he is more than worthy of the success he has found in the industry.
His work with Christopher Nolan as Batman inThe Dark Knighttrilogy is, perhaps, the best example of this. Outside of Bale’s portrayal of the character, which is arguably one of the best seen in cinema, the series features impeccable performances from other actors like Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman. During an interview, Bale spoke on this subject, talking about his character, being potentially overshadowed, and even talking about something that is quite controversial amongst fans of the character.
Also Read:“It made me feel angry”: Christian Bale’s The Dark Knight Co-Actress Was ‘Astonished’ a Movie Won’t Let Her Play a 55 Year Old Man’s Lover
Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan Thought The Batman To Be Dull
During an interview withGQ,Christian Baletook a look back at some of his most iconic works from the past. This, of course, included his work onThe Dark Knighttrilogy, more specifically the second film in the series,The Dark Knight, where the actor starred alongside Heath Ledger’s Joker, who is easily one of the most memorable portrayals of a character in all of cinema history. During this, the actor talked about how, when he started having discussions with Christopher Nolan about the character of Batman, they noticed an odd sort of pattern.
“When Chris and I first sat down, we said, ‘You know what the problem with Batman is? Is that the villains are always more interesting.'”He went on,“And unfortunately now sitting there going, ‘I’m feeling a little bit dull by comparison’ cause Heath is just like killing this.”
Elaborating on this, he stated that the two noticed that, a lot of the time, Batman’s villains are a lot more complex and interesting compared to the caped crusader himself. As a way to avoid this very jarring distinction, the two tried their very best to make Bruce Wayne just as interesting as the ones he goes against. Though this worked in the first film,Batman Begins, that wasn’t so much the case with the second part. This makes quite a lot of sense, though as there are very few characters who are more interesting, entertaining, and concerning than the Joker.
Also Read:“I had nightmares the whole time”: Christian Bale’s Role as Jesus Had the Actor Screaming in Terror While Having the Best Time in ‘American Psycho’
Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan Believe Batman is Close to Being A Villain
Things took an odd twist, however, when Christian Bale revealed toGQthat another thing that both he and Christopher Nolan agreed on was the fact that Batman, himself, is very frequently closer to being a villain than a hero himself, always walking the line of good and evil. He then added that this was used to their advantage in the films as they utilized this trait to make sure that his character never became boring in comparison to the others.
“and so Batman, actually, is very close to being a villain himself. So lets never let him become dull by comparison.”
This is quite a big argument on its own amongst fans of the character, who are well-versed in the inner demons that haunt the character of Batman. The perfect example of this is the fact that his character, consistently allows the Joker to live in order to stick to his moral code, even though he has caused some of the biggest atrocities in the comics. By doing this, his character is almost writing the death sentence for the people of Gotham.
While this can be counted as him, simply being a flawed character. It is possible that these are the reasons that prompted Bale and Nolan to feel the way that they did.
Also Read:“I’m back to being one part in a very big film”: Christian Bale Felt Frustrated With Having His Spotlight Stolen in $107M Ensemble Crime Thriller
Ananya Godboley
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2219
Ananya Godboley is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows, with over 2,000 articles published. She has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years. Currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in psychology from K.R. Mangalam University, Ananya also likes to fangirl as a full-time job. She covers news and analyses on anything from Rick and Morty to Hannibal and even Arcane. In between these lines, she also enjoys superheroes and Taylor Swift.A philosophy enthusiast, Ananya enjoys digging deeper into the media she consumes, trying to understand the root of her favorite characters' behavior.
