Christian Bale has become known for his drastic transformations for his roles throughout his career. Playing Batman required him to be lean and fit so similarly, different roles required him to look a certain way. Films like The Fighter, American Hustle, Vice, and Ford v Ferrari had him in various physical shapes to embody the characters in the respective films.
His most extreme transformation was for his 2004 film The Machinist where he played a man plagued by insomnia. The actor underwent an extreme prep to look the part and he put his life on the line with his shocking diet.
Christian Bale’s Shocking Diet Plan for The Machinist is Absolutely Bonkers
Christian Bale starred in the 2004 psychological thriller film The Machinist where he played a highly emaciated, psychologically conflicted individual plagued by insomnia. The film had Bale’s most drastic body transformation and the actor committed to looking the part with a specific diet plan.
A put by Men’s Health, the actor lost 25 kg for the film in four months. Bale achieved this astonishing feat with a diet that included a black coffee, an apple, and a tin of tuna a day. This was a highly dangerous commitment and Bale risked his life for the part and the film now has a cult following.
Daniel O’Shaughnessy, the popular health expert commented on Bale’s transformation (via Esquire) and agreed with audiences that such a diet “will play havoc with your metabolism and cause a lot of stress on the body”. Bale himself has admitted that he went too far with his prep for the role and also found it difficult to get back to his normal self after playing such a damaged character.
Christian Bale Challenged Himself As an Actor For The Machinist
When Christian Bale was offered The Machinist, he found it really interesting and discovered a role that he could sink his teeth into. In an interview with GQ, he talked about how he had come off some unsatisfactory films before he got The Machinist and the desire to challenge himself as an actor with the role of Trevor Reznik.
Bale revealed that he wanted something where he could get immersed and obsessed with and Trevor was the perfect opportunity to do so. He also wanted to strive for the image of the character that he had in mind and work towards achieving it no matter what. He said,
“I’d come off of making a couple of films that I’d been less than satisfied with and just really wanted something where I could become immersed and obsessed with it, you know. I mean, I remember at the time it was like, not the smart thing to do because there was no money in it.
But it was something that I really wanted to challenge myself and kind of see could I achieve that? Could I fulfill how I imagined the part Trevor should be played? you know and tested myself.”
The film has one of Bale’s most emotionally resonant performances and his portrayal of a guilt-ridden individual suffering from insomnia was an acting tour de force. It remains one of the actor’s best films in his career, one that is filled with awe-inspiring performances. Audiences can stream the film on Paramount+.
