Cinema Confidential.com
- July 2002
Interview with Christian Bale by Sean Chavel in Los Angeles
(click
here to read original interview)
Christian Bale is one of the most
remarkable and versatile actors under thirty in the movie business.
Bale’s first rise to fame began with the lead part in Steven
Spielberg’s "Empire of the Sun," playing a British
diplomat’s son who becomes separated from his parents in World War
II while the Japanese are invading Shanghai and learns to survive on
his own in the concentration camps. At fifteen, he gave a sterling
performance in this grand and magnificent movie that earned him an
award by the National Board of Review for Outstanding Juvenile
performance.
The Welsh-born Bale disappeared for
a few years to further his studies, and then returned as a
heartthrob in "Little Women." It became more difficult to
categorize Bale when he went on to test his versatility in such
indistinguishable roles in "Velvet Goldmine,"
"American Psycho," "Shaft" and "Captain
Corelli’s Mandolin." Handsome, brawny and charismatic, he
believably inhabits his latest film with the post-apocalyptic
dragonslayer movie "Reign of Fire," which is more of a
summer popcorn movie that you would expect from him. Such strange
but beguiling career choices have even led Entertainment Weekly into
hailing him as one of the “most powerful cult figures of the past
decade.” Bale tries to shed light on his career path and making
sense out of acting.
What were you feelings at first
when you were approached to make Reign of Fire?
I had reservations about making a
movie like this. Initially I was very surprised they were interested
in me for it because I didn’t expect that. It was an attraction
for me because I hope that I can always do something that isn’t
predictable. There’s a great deal of risk in making a movie of
this scale.
Why do you think that there is
some kind of risk involved?
First of all, it really needs a
strong-minded director. I wanted to know that it was going to be
Rob’s movie at the end of the day, and not anybody else’s. Not
somebody who is not there on the set. And Rob told me that it was
going to be exactly how he planned it, and no tricky editing with
[computer generated effects] that was going to perhaps have one
dragon was going to kind of like my character, or another was going
to have a hat on its head, or make me wear big eyelashes. (Laughs)
Or whatever… but these things happen.
Isn’t it true that you had
problems with the script?
I had some concerns about the story,
but what was great is that Rob had the exact same concerns and
promised that there were going to be changes. I did a complete 180
degree turn in the meeting. I went in there thinking, ‘No,
probably not,’ and left thinking this is something exciting and
different for me to do. And Rob stayed true to his word throughout,
which is no small feat really. There wasn’t a single thing that I
was disappointed with.
Was it new for you to be working
with complicated visual effects and matte photography?
I’ve done plenty of movies where
there are no special effects whatsoever and I’m doing a scene
where I’m doing a scene apparently talking to somebody and I’m
looking at a brick wall, because that actor was not able to fit
behind the camera and the lights needed to be there and the room is
too small and etcetera. Blue screen is not something that is so
alien to me really.
Are there any other action movies
that you have liked in the past?
I enjoyed Star Wars a great deal as
a kid. I was never a hard core, science-fiction fan. I liked it if I
found the story is good basically. I don’t seem to be able to
enjoy them quite as much as I did as a kid. I still enjoy them
because I can’t help it; it’s part of my childhood. It may well
be nostalgia, but it’s something about the early ones that I feel
something for.
Has the concept of acting changed
with you since when you first started acting as a child some fifteen
years ago?
Man, I’ve hated it and I’ve
loved it. I wanted to quit and wanted nothing to do with it, and
everything in between.
You’ve taken some controversial
parts before like American Psycho and Velvet Goldmine. Did you take
those roles in order to keep acting interesting for yourself?
I never want to turn something down
because I’m afraid to do it, because of some idea of image or
whatever. That was never anything I set out to do. In fact, the
opposite, I always want to confuse people in terms of any kind of
image and be unpredictable in any kind of movie I make. I never want
to feel that I’m playing it safe.
Were you competitive with
Matthew McConaughey on the set?
Competitive? I kind of thought I
was. When we were doing the fight sequence, I was like, ‘Yeah,
we’re really duking it.’ And then I watch it and it was like,
‘What was I thinking?’ I just get creamed. (Laughs) I thought I
was being competitive, but he just walked all over me.
Come on. Tell us what McConaughey
was like otherwise.
Matthew was punching people nonstop
in Dublin. (Laughs) No, he was. Down at the boxing gym, he was
sparring with [amateurs]. I did a crazy undertaking for a couple of
weeks where I worked out so I could be convincing with at least
lasting a couple of minutes going up against Matthew on the screen.
Since you worked in the theater
when you were much younger, have you ever considered about going
back?
I’ve thought about it, but I have
no immediate plans to go back. I understand why stage actors talked
about it so highly. Nevertheless, just as a viewer I have always
enjoyed movies more than I have enjoyed theater. Maybe that has to
do with the choices of movies that I’ve gone to see. I have a more
natural inclination more towards movies.
What gives you the most kick out
of life?
I really do get a kick out of acting
when it’s done really well. When there’s a feeling on the set
and working in tandem with everybody and you just know that
everything worked exactly how you wanted it to. That’s the
fantastic part. In everyday life, my wife is the most wonderful.
We’re in love with each other beyond belief.
"Reign of Fire" opens July
12th in theaters everywhere.
