Christian Bale is one of the most talented and respected actors in Hollywood. Whether it is about his method of acting or the roles he picks, nothing stops him from giving an absolutely legendary performance. Some of his roles stand out more than others and even if he is part of a flop movie, his talent is to still be the best in it.
Having such a different approach to acting, he often finds himself taking inspiration from other means to channel his own best self. Method acting can be rather crucial, but oftentimes the outcome is absolutely splendid. Bale is one of the most iconic proofs of that. However, his inspiration is one that many might have not expected.
Christian Bale Is Inspired By Rowan Atkinson
Christian Bale starred alongside Rowan Atkinson in The Nerd, a play that went on to change his life forever. Bale saw the Mr. Bean actor play the lead character in the play and was astonished by how well he was with what he did. The play followed his character, who was mixed with a group of people who did not really like him because of his awkward demeanor but were indebted to him regardless.
“I never trained. And I’ve come to the realization recently … One of [my] first jobs ever was with Rowan Atkinson and I think I look at him as the template. He was playing… ‘The Nerd,’ it was called, by Larry Shue. He would come out, we’d say hello, but he didn’t really socialize. None of us knew him — it was before he did ‘Mr. Bean.’ And he would just become this character, but before he went on stage. And I would just watch him; I would see him becoming a character.”
Although the play was made before Mr. Bean ever came out, Bale saw just how talented the actor was. Despite Atkinson still a ways away from rising to fame, he was rather secluded and kept to himself; minding his own business and giving one hell of a performance.
Christian Bale Wanted To Be Like Rowan Atkinson
Christian Bale was stunned after seeing Rowan Atkinson perform. The way Atkinson transformed into his character was something Bale also wanted to manifest in his own acting career. The American Psycho actor did not even get a chance to talk to the actor until he was done with his role.
“I was mesmerized. And then he just stayed in character for the whole night. And it wasn’t until the whole thing was finished that he invited me to say hello and that I actually spoke to him for the first time. It dawned on me that was my learning phase. I went, ‘Oh, that’s how it’s done then, is it? OK, great.'”
He was so excited to learn things, especially from Atkinson that he embraced it as his learning phase, absorbing and grabbing every new trick he could understand. It was only the start of Bale’s career but it had a long-lasting effect on him.
Source: GQ
