Christian Bale’s physical and psychological dedication to his movie roles is almost unmatched in Hollywood. The actor has a whole long list of movies demanding his extreme transformation, in fact, he has almost become synonymous with it.
It is far more easy to recall Bale in The Machinist, The Fighter for the loss of his body mass pushing his ability to the edge of the limit. However, he has also created a buzz when he gained 40 lbs for Adam McKay’s Vice.
Christian Bale On Gaining 40 lbs for Vice
Christian Bale played Dick Cheney— one of the most powerful Vice Presidents of the United States—in Adam McKay’s 2018 comedy thriller Vice. Coming out of The Machinist wasn’t enough, he gained 100 lbs for his next role as Batman, again drained 30 lbs to fit in the Batman suit. In Vice, the actor has continued his transformation streak gaining 40 lbs for Cheney. But while speaking with Las Vegas Review-Journal’s C.L. Gaber, Bale had the window to reflect upon himself regarding his transformation.
“I’m just mental. I’m just a demented individual. You get used to gaining and losing weight for movies. I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I don’t know if it’s the healthiest,” Bale said of his fluffy physique in Vice.
Certainly, Bale’s wife Sibi Blažić doesn’t mind much about the actor gaining a few pounds. When Gaber asked if she minded his weight gain for the movie roles, he did not hesitate to be candid about it, “Not at all. It just makes her look skinnier,” Bale said. Certainly, Vice is not the end of his physical transformation, the actor might rope in for another project that demands such extremities.
Also read: “Tons of people” Laughed at Christian Bale for His Batman Idea That Immortalized The Dark Knight
Christian Bale Did Vice Under One Condition
From one book on Cheney to 18, Vice was an accidental film for McKay, “I started reading it and I was like, ‘Oh my God!'” McKay told CBS. “And I saw a love story there. I saw an arc of ambition.” But the director was akin to the idea of the actor for the title character and it’s “gotta be Bale.” But for Bale, he wouldn’t be in it if it wasn’t a McKay movie.
“I just came out of that headspace a few days ago… and frankly my head is still there. I can’t really put it into words just yet. All I can tell you is this is not your average biopic. It’s an Adam McKay film. I wouldn’t have done the film if it hadn’t been for Adam. Frankly, I thought he was crazy for asking me. Then I came to understand how this can be made to work. It was a fascinating piece.”
Vice was not a box office marvel, the movie went on to gross over $76.1 million, against a production budget of $60 million. Also, the critical reception of the movie was average at best. The movie, however, did well in the 91st Academy Awards with eight nominations including Best Actor, winning Best Make-Up and Hairstyling.
Vice is available to stream on STARZ by Apple TV Plus.
