Christian Bale may be recognized as one of the most respected and dedicated actors now but that was not how he started off as. His experience has been one many take note of and choose to learn from. He does not shy away from taking challenging roles and turning them into some of the most iconic performances. However, not all his movies become as recognizable.
When it comes to being a child actor, many might agree that they see the world differently than how adult actors do. Whether it is simple naivete or the fact that the good and bad of the Hollywood industry are yet to be introduced to them, it takes a while for them to understand how things work. Similarly, while child actors may not be able to recognize the good from the bad, they might not realize when they come face to face with what many would regard as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Christian Bale Was Unaware Of Steven Spielberg’s Fame
Christian Bale stepped into the big leagues of Hollywood after he starred in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun at the mere age of thirteen. When he first took on the role, he was nowhere near aware of the weight of the role he had. Due to him being just a child, Bale had absolutely no idea about what it was like to be in a Steven Spielberg movie.
“Animals and children are the best actors. You can’t compete with them. And the reason is because they don’t give a s*** about the consequences. And in many ways that was how I felt when I was making ‘Empire of the Sun.’ You know, not through any intentional thing, it just didn’t even enter my mind.”
To him, it was nothing but a normal day at work. Although Empire of the Sun is one of the lesser-known flicks of Spielberg, it is still highly praised. It not only brought Bale into the light, but it gave the actor an experience he never forgot.
Christian Bale Thought Movies Made By Steven Spielberg Were A Usual Occurance
It wasn’t until years later that Christian Bale realized just how unique of an experience it is to star in a Steven Spielberg movie. The big budgets and all the possible resources available to them were not something he thought to be out of the ordinary.
“I had no idea just how unique that experience was at the time because I didn’t realize that every film didn’t build a bloody runway the planes could land on in the middle of a marshland in Spain, or build a pagoda, or build, you know, huge hospitals, to build literally half a full-size stadium out there.”
As he progressed in his age and his career, he came to understand that being in Speilberg’s movie was an opportunity of a lifetime. Whether it was the massive set or the scale of the entire movie altogether, Bale loved how it was a new and unique experience for him.
Source: Slash Film
