The genius of transformation Christian Bale and his responsible approach, which is worth learning (17 photos)

If you make a list of great actors of our time, Christian Bale will rightfully be included in it. It is clear that not everyone likes the films with his participation, but this does not negate his well-deserved title as a genius of transformation.





After all, more than once for the sake of his roles he resorted to sometimes surprising transformations.



Bale was born into the family of a circus performer and a pilot. Having no film connections, as an 11-year-old boy he got his first role in the little-known series “Anastasia: The Secrets of Anna,” where he played with Spielberg’s wife.





He managed to impress the director’s wife, thanks to which he received an excellent recommendation and beat out 4 thousand competitors, ending up in the historical film “Empire of the Sun.” As Bale himself recalls, at that time he did not even think about a career, but even then he demonstrated the most responsible approach.



To make him appear on camera as a trapped child with heavy breathing, the young actor jumped for 5 minutes before takes. This is exactly how the audience fell in love with him, having received early fame, because of which he almost quit his acting career.

However, a few years later he changed his mind, and for a long time tried on the role of romantic heroes in the films “Little Women” and “Portrait of a Lady.” In 1998, he appeared in Velvet Goldmine as a fashion journalist with a glam rock fantasies, declaring that he was tired of starring in costume films and intended to change.





It was after this role that Bale revealed his mastery of transformation, appearing in the most unexpected roles. In 1999, he appeared in the film “Jesus,” and a year later he was seen as one of the most memorable villains in “American Psycho.”





By the way, for the last role, the actor, who had not previously visited gyms, began to actively train, practicing for hours. His experiments did not end there.

In 2002, Christian appeared in the film Reign of Fire in even more brilliant form. He was inspired to do this by serious competition for the role in the person of Matthew McConaughey, who at that time had a toned body.



Bale also surprised with his appearance in The Machinist, for which he lost 27 kg in 4 months. The actor himself planned to throw off more, but the director opposed it, fearing harm to the health of the Hollywood star.



Immediately after this, he got the role of Batman, which meant that within 5 months he again needed to regain his previous physical form.



After several parts of the franchise, Bale gained 20 kg for the film “American Hustle,” devouring only burgers and donuts. It may seem that the actor’s belly, flashing in the frame, is fake, but all this is the fruit of his labors.



Viewers were perplexed why the actor never received an Oscar, because, despite the abundance of diverse roles, he received only one statuette for the supporting role in the film “The Fighter.” At the presentation, Bale first of all thanked the boxing coach who helped prepare for the film. Needless to say, for the role of a loser athlete addicted to bad habits, he again had to transform.





However, the actor shows his responsible approach not only by changing his body. For example, for the Chinese film Flowers of War, released in 2011, the actor had to learn 60% of the script in Mandarin.



And for the role of racer Ken Miles in Ford v Ferrari, he went to study at a driving school founded by a friend of the man he played. This allowed him not only to learn racing tricks, but also to gather more information about the prototype.



What to expect next from the actor? Despite the fact that after Batman, Bale wanted to give up roles in superhero films, but his children persuaded him to appear in the film Thor: Love and Thunder. True, now he will appear in the role of a villain named Gorr. It sounds very intriguing, considering that the director of the film called him the coolest negative hero from the released Marvel films.



How would you rate Christian Bale's approach to the filming process?