Despite having starred in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun and Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 adaptation of Little Women, Christian Bale’s portrayal of the serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho is considered to be his breakthrough role. His performance in the 2000 movie based on Bret Easton Ellis’ novel of the same name caught the attention of some of the biggest production houses, and the British actor was being approached for more prominent roles.
One of these roles also included the popular British MI6 spy James Bond. The franchise has starred several acclaimed actors, and fans have been eagerly waiting for the next 007. However, despite its popularity and success, many actors have rejected the offer to star in the franchise, including Bale, who claimed that it represented a stereotypical British persona.
Christian Bale Rejected the James Bond Franchise
The 2000 film American Psycho, starring Christian Bale, was a commercial and critical hit and is considered to have established Bale as a leading man in Hollywood. His performance in the movie caught the attention of James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli.
While Pierce Brosnan was still starring in the franchise, the producers wanted to secure their future James Bond, and The Prestige actor was also on their list. Broccoli even claimed that the part “would be Christian’s for the asking.” However, to their disappointment, Bale was not interested in the offer.
According to the 2012 book Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman, The Dark Knight star did not want to star in the spy action thriller film series as he found it “very British.” Not just the series, he also believed that the character represented “every despicable stereotype about England and British actors.”
These specific aspects of the character have caused his disapproval of the British spy, leading him to reject the offer to star in the $7.8 billion franchise. However, it hardly had a negative impact on his career, and he continued starring in several blockbusters, including the $6.6 billion superhero series from DC.
Christian Bale Compared James Bond to a Serial Killer
Based on British author Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel series, the franchise has featured multiple actors as 007. Legendary actor Sean Connery first brought the character on the silver screen with his 1962 film Dr. No. After Connery, several actors donned the title of 007.
Daniel Craig was the last actor to portray the character and was last seen in the 2021 film No Time to Die. However, throughout the years, probably no one would have shared the same narrative as Christian Bale for James Bond. As the Amsterdam star denied the offer to take on the role after Pierce Brosnan, he also said, “I already played a serial killer,” referring to his character in American Psycho. After he rejected the role, Craig landed the part and starred in the franchise from 2006 to 2021.
Source: Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman
