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5 Times Christian Bale Transforms His Physique Spectacularly For Film Projects

Christian Bale is a very famous name in the Hollywood world. He was praised for his ingenious acting and miraculous ability to immerse himself in his character. What makes him so special is the effort he put into every movie that he plays. He’s willing to go extra length, change his physique, mental status just so the movie can bring the character to life.
nullBale's best-known performance as Batman / Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight Trilogy, however, his work is far more diverse than just portraying superheroes. From the below titles, we can see that Christian Bale is an extremely talented and dedicated actor. Even when he had to torture himself, Bale was determined to make the works of a lifetime.

American Hustle (2013)

nullChristian Bale gained 20 pounds playing Rosenfeld in 2013's American Hustle. He had to eat "a lot of donuts" and "a lot of cheeseburgers" to get a bigger bust. However, the actor has always been suffering because of art, Bale was said to have a herniated disc in his back due to the decision to play Rosenfeld. This makes Bale's real-life height reduced by 7 centimeters.

American Psycho (2000)

nullIn the 2000s, Christian Bale, who had never been to the gym, put all his energy into becoming bigger as Bateman. He had to train for hours every day to achieve certain muscles mass for the movie. This change is reported to also affect Christian Bale's psyche. During filming, Bale spoke with an American accent even when he was not on the set. In addition, he also refused to interact with his co-stars. It is these things that make his role so real, he takes the method acting method to the next level.

Batman Begins (2005)

nullChris Bale had been getting ready to join Batman since the end of The Machinist - the movie we'll cover below. His body had changed dramatically in the span of just five months. For the role of Bruce Wayne, Bale ate ice cream and pizza constantly. At the same time, he also had to train frantically to strengthen his muscles.
“Actually, I gained a lot of weight while filming Batman Begins. I didn't have the weight Christopher Nolan wanted. So I had to cut 9 kg or more before filming. At first, I was very fat.”

Vice (2018)

nullAs one of the most divisive figures in American political history, Dick Cheney has always been a hard puzzle for actors. This was not an easy feat for Bale as he has a very little physical resemblance to Cheney. To convince the audience, Bale spent up to 8 hours a day putting on makeup for the film. He shaved his scalp and waxed his eyebrows to ensure he could wear his wig and neck prostheses. The actor also gained more than 19 kg to perfectly portray the character. Bale was completely focused on showing Cheney's 'essence'. He studied hundreds of videos to remember his tough, ruthless personality. In fact, Bale had saved so many photos of Cheney that his iPhone started automatically creating nostalgic montages of these 'memories'.

The Machinist (2004)

nullThe character Trevor Reznik is a character that has been around for a long time in the minds of fans. With a thin, pale figure, Reznik is a grim expression of the chaos and exhaustion gnawing inside a person. When he was shirtless, it was clear that Reznik was completely emaciated. Every rib was protruding from his chest. While the actor's belly was concave to an alarming level. Christian Bale lost about 30 pounds in the four months before making the film. This is the most weight loss of any actor for any role in the history of cinema. The press also said that Bale wants to reduce even more. However, the producers did not allow it for fear that this could seriously jeopardize the actor's health.
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