Christian Bale is known to get into the skin of his on-screen characters, and his method to do so is with his physical transformation. The actor has done this several times, whether it’s Patrick Bateman in the 2000 film American Psycho or the iconic role of DC masked vigilante Batman. He is also known for taking drastic measures for his movies like The Machinist, for which he lost 63 pounds and wanted to make it 99 pounds before filmmakers stopped him from doing it.
While it pays up in terms of his performance, it’s not pleasing for his close ones to see him going through such a drastic transformation, along with his stepmother, Gloria Steinem, who raised her concern over Bale’s physical transformation during an interview.
Christian Bale’s Stepmother Concerned For the Actor
Christian Bale has surprised his audience many times with his drastic physical transformation throughout the years. While it helps the actor connect with his characters and adds authenticity to his performance, it is not something that is greatly appreciated by those close to him.
His stepmother Gloria Steinem, who convinced Leonardo DiCaprio to drop out of American Psycho, has urged the Oscar-winning actor not to take such roles. Bale lost more than 60 pounds for the 2004 psychological thriller, The Machinist, and gained 100 pounds of muscle for his DC debut in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins within months.
His stepmother shared her concern for the actor, saying, “I was concerned. That’s a huge strain on the heart, perhaps, even more, when re-gaining than when losing.” She further stated that she knows it’s not up to her to make a decision for her stepson, but she hoped that “he won’t do it again.”
Steinem has also praised Bale’s work in The Dark Knight trilogy, saying that it was the best she had ever seen in the genre. And not just his stepmother, the actor has also shared that he might not continue with his physical transformations in the future.
Christian Bale is Done With His Physical Transformations
Despite his stepmother’s concern, Christian Bale continued following his practice of losing and gaining weight for his characters. He put on 43 pounds for his character Irving Rosenfeld in the 2013 movie American Hustle. And he continued following it till the 2018 film Vice.
To portray the former vice President of the United States, Bale completely transformed himself by gaining 40 pounds of weight, shaving his head, and even bleaching his eyebrows. However, he was able to realize that he might not be able to do the same in the future.
“I can’t keep doing it. I really can’t. My mortality is staring me in the face,” he said. The Promise actor has shared that it has become hard for him to alter his body according to his roles as he ages, and the process is not as convenient as it was in his early twenties.
Source: Female First
