Patrick Bateman and Tom Cruise are two names you would never imagine hearing in the same sentence. And yet here we are, because as astonishing as it sounds, American Psycho‘s deranged and iconic protagonist was, to a great extent, inspired by none other than the Top Gun star.
It’s almost impossible to picture that the look of pure mania on Bateman’s face or the glint of coldness in his eyes could ever have something to do with Cruise. But you’d be surprised to know just how much the Mission: Impossible star had inspired Bale’s character in the 2000’s thriller. What’s more, the Amsterdam actor wasn’t the only one to have been influenced by Cruise. Bale’s co-star from the Marry Hannon-helmed satirical horror, Reese Witherspoon, also took a boatload of inspiration from the 60-year-old actor and producer.
Christian Bale Drew Inspiration from Tom Cruise for American Psycho
23 years ago, Christian Bale delivered one of the most bone-chillingly epic roles as the unhinged yet eerily composed Patrick Bateman, a character who over the years has come to be hailed as a gripping rendition of a life blurred by dissolution, the greed for power, and the insatiable hunger for more. A wealthy investment banker who struggled to keep up with all that life demanded, Bateman, depicted the classic conflict of identity whilst simultaneously narrating the abhorrent reality of the filthy rich and their outlandish ability to get away with any and every crime.
Mary Harron’s American Psycho was a striking portrayal of the dangerous repercussions borne out of unbridled hedonism and the bloodlust for violence. And after all that was said and done, Patrick Bateman remained but a wealthy narcissist desperately trying to set himself apart from his debauched peers but completely failing to do so.
In a 2009 interview about the film’s 20th anniversary, Harron revealed how Bale, 49, was immensely stirred by Tom Cruise’s energy, especially from when he had appeared on an episode of Late Night with David Letterman. Bale mentioned that Cruise then had portrayed something akin to “a very intense friendliness with nothing behind the eyes.”
So, now you know where Bateman got that delirious look from.
How Reese Witherspoon’s Legally Blonde 3 is Inspired by Top Gun 2
Turns out Cruise worked his magic on more than just one cast member of American Psycho. Reese Witherspoon, who played the excessively chatty socialite Evelyn Williams, Bateman’s fiancé in the film, admitted that 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick was a major inspiration for the upcoming installment in the Legally Blonde franchise.
Speaking to USA Today about Legally Blonde 3 which Witherspoon, 47, is going to produce as well as star in, the Cruel Intentions star actress how her forthcoming movie is quite similar to Joseph Kosinski’s blockbuster sequel to Top Gun because “they waited a long time” to make the second part, much like the situation with her project.
“I’m still hoping that Legally Blonde 3 is going to come together in the right way. It’s just like Top Gun: Maverick. They waited a long time to make another version of that movie, and I loved the nostalgia piece they incorporated in it. So definitely that gave us a lot of inspiration about what we would want to do with Elle Woods and make sure that we had all those same touchstones that mattered to people [back] then.”
The billion-dollar sequel starring Cruise and Miles Teller came out in cinemas in 2022, more than three decades after the first film was released. And Legally Blonde 3 is set to make it to the silver screen more than two decades after Legally Blonde which came way back in 2001.
No release date has been attached to the Witherspoon-starrer yet.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
