Despite not making a huge splash upon its release back in the 2000s, since then, American Psycho has garnered a major cult following, which boosted Christian Bale to prominence. In recent years, the fascination with the character has only elevated among viewers, and for better or worse, Patrick Bateman has kind of become a role model to many of them, despite his psychopathic tendencies.
Although most would agree that Bateman is far from an upstanding role model for anyone, whose character serves as a parody of ultra-capitalism, this hasn’t stopped fans from impersonating him.
Fan Nails Impersonation of Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman
To say that Christian Bale‘s mannerisms as Patrick Bateman is iconic would be an understatement, which has now become deeply ingrained in the meme culture. This has pushed many to reenact his personality, but a recent cosplay from a fan might be the most impressive one yet.
Reacting to it, one commented, “Close enough, welcome back Patrick Bateman”, while another shared, “Sounds like him, didn’t break character. Guys, it’s him”. Another user added, “It’s scary how much he looks like him”, and one stressed “Spot on”.
While it’s apparent that there is a face filter, this doesn’t take away from his spot-on impersonation of one of Bale’s most iconic works, and it’s safe to say even The Dark Knight star would be impressed by it.
Christian Bale’s Co-star Wasn’t Initially Convinced of His Casting
Although it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Bateman other than the Batman Begins star, getting him the part was an uphill task for director Mary Harron. Considering Bale was relatively unknown at the time, studios were initially against Harron’s decision to cast him for the adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s controversial novel.
Fortunately, for Harron and Bale, the studio execs eventually gave in, but following the actor’s relatively unknown status, they signed him for the bare minimum fees for the job. However, this didn’t hinder the actor’s motivations to rise up to the opportunity. And while he ended up doing an impeccable job, his co-star was initially less-than-thrilled by his performance as Bateman.
Speaking of his co-star Josh Lucas, Bale revealed in 2020:
Josh Lucas and I did a film together recently and he opened my eyes to something that I had been unaware of. He informed me that all of the other actors thought that I was the worst actor they’d ever seen.
He was telling me they kept looking at me and talking about me, saying, ‘Why did Mary fight for this guy? He’s terrible.’ And it wasn’t until he saw the film that he changed his mind. And I was in the dark completely about that critique.
As the story goes, his unusual antics as Bateman not only popped him to prominence but have now also left an indelible mark on internet meme culture.
American Psycho is available to stream on Netflix.
