Christian Bale’s The Dark Knight trilogy is regarded as one of the best comic book adaptations of the Batman franchise. It reintroduced the character in a way that fans had never seen before. While Bale’s performance was praised by the viewers, the actor did not feel quite happy about it.
Released in 2008, Christopher Nolan’s instant classic exhibited another side of the Caped Crusader that not only fought with villains and crime lords but also someone who grappled with the restrictions of being a vigilante.
Christian Bale Confessed He Did Not Nail His Batman Role
Apart from Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne/Batman, one of the most notable characters in The Dark Knight trilogy was Heath Ledger’s Joker. It’s no secret that his performance was critically acclaimed, even winning him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2009.
Somehow, both Bale’s dissatisfaction and Ledger’s scene-stealing villain only made him feel worse about his performance as Batman. In an interview with Yahoo, the actor admitted:
“I didn’t quite manage what I hoped I would throughout the trilogy. Chris did, but my own sense of self is like, ‘I didn’t quite nail it.’ Heath turned up, and just kind of completely ruined all my plans. Because I went, ‘He’s so much more interesting than me and what I’m doing.’ ”
Bale also noted how the costume did not essentially make him feel stronger, but without it, he is basically nothing:
“I found when I put on the suit, I felt like, ‘I just feel like a bloody idiot if I don’t use this as a means of, ‘It’s his true monstrous self that he allows to come out in that moment.’ Let’s do that.’ ”
Despite his underwhelming reception of the trilogy and his character in general, Bale is thankful for the opportunity to portray one of the most iconic comic book characters of all time. He told Variety:
“Mixed emotions about it. I’m always eternally grateful to Chris. It did change everything. It was the first time I had done a film of that magnitude. That was a real learning curve for me. I wrestled with it for a long time. I still do on occasions. But I’m just learning, hey, accept the good things.”
The actor never had any blockbuster films before his performance as Batman, so the role was fundamentally crucial to his career.
Christian Bale On Working With Heath Ledger
In his interview with British GQ, Christian Bale reacted to Heath Ledger’s death and shared his experience collaborating with the late star:
“He was a fantastic guy, we had a lot of fun on set. Yes, he immersed himself into the film completely, but, at the same time, he was so easy-going. Heath was infectious; his death makes me angry because I know our friendship would have blossomed had he not died. He’s done a real defining characterization of the Joker that both audiences and the industry will no doubt praise and then acknowledge in time.”
Bale and Ledger absolutely gave their best performances in The Dark Knight trilogy. Not only has the movie evolved into a classic fan-favorite, but both actors’ portrayals of their respective characters remain unparalleled.
