Christian Bale’s presence as Batman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy is possibly his most recognized blockbuster role. The actor who had once stated that he wasn’t a big fan of appearing in sequels, made an exception for Nolan and the decision paid off richly. But The Dark Knight trilogy isn’t the only film for which Bale broke his no-sequel rule. The American Psycho star also played a prominent part in the reboot of the iconic Terminator franchise as the adult John Connor in 2009’s Terminator: Salvation.
As the highest-paid actor at that time to take on the character, Bale’s inclusion was an attempt to resurrect a cult franchise. During the production though, the star created a stir by making a few controversial statements about the film and the Terminator franchise’s original talisman, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“The Franchise Doesn’t Need Schwarzenegger”, Said Christian Bale
Referring to James Cameron’s Terminator films is incomplete without talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s hulking presence. The action star who was the face of the franchise, was one of the pivotal reasons for the cult status of the film series. Terminator: Salvation which was an attempt at recreating the Terminator legacy, was the first movie that did not feature the famous Austrian star. But Christian Bale who was part of the film, made a bold statement about the absence of Schwarzenegger and the impact he wielded.
We’ve seen so many guys who imitated him and it just became a little passe. [The franchise doesn’t need him now] because you can’t just keep rehashing the same plot. Yes, Terminator is known for having this one singular figure of villainy that is constantly pursuing but how many times can you keep on doing it? … I don’t think anyone really had an interest in just imitating the movies that had come before.”
Despite Bale’s controversial claim that Arnold Schwarzenegger was redundant in the Terminator films, Terminator: Salvation did not back up the actor’s opinion. The film failed to set the box office on fire and did not receive favorable responses from critics as well thereby crushing Bale’s theory that Schwarzenegger’s towering presence was not needed for the film’s success.
Christian Bale Had A Showdown On The Sets Of Terminator: Salvation
Being a uniquely talented performer also comes with a few quirks in personality. Despite gaining recognition for his performances, Christian Bale is also known for a few outbursts on the sets of his films. One incident that earned the actor a dubious reputation happened during the filming of Terminator: Salvation.
Midway through a particular scene, Bale reacted violently towards a cinematographer who happen to walk in front of him thereby disturbing his focus. A leaked video of Bale’s tirade quickly became viral causing the actor to do damage control with a public apology. Using the scene with co-star Bryce Dallas Howards as an excuse, Bale said,
[That incident] wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t been playing that scene, for Christ’s sake, between John Connor and his wife, which is probably the most intense one in the movie. … I’d definitely say that that guy who was yelling was at least half John Connor, and the rest was Christian Bale.”
After the failure of the film and his angry outburst on the sets, Bale subsequently ended his relationship with the Terminator films and did not commit to any more sequels after Terminator: Salvation.
Source: Cheatsheet
