There is no need for the repetition of the fact that Christian Bale is one of the most prolific and exemplary actors of all time. From his extreme physical transformations to his versatile portrayals that can effortlessly transform him from an amiable, likable guy-next-door persona to a psycho killing machine, Bale’s intense dedication towards his characters is a well-known tale in Hollywood.
However, his psychotic portrayals in one of his breakthrough roles made wives of crew members force them into quitting the $34 million film. And if you haven’t guessed it yet, the $34 million film was none other than American Psycho.
Wives Of Crew Members Forced Them Into Quitting Christian Bale’s $34 Million Movie
Possessing almost a chameleon-like ability, Christian Bale has never shied away from taking on challenging roles. Whether it is going to the verge of malnutrition for The Machinist to his extreme weight game for American Hustle or Vice, Bale can do anything to do justice to his characters, a rare ability that less than a handful of actors possess.
But despite his physical transformations in later movies, it was his portrayal in the $34 million movie American Psycho (via The Numbers) that continues to dominate his list of best roles. Starring as the titular, narcissistic, and extremely violent investment banker Patrick Bateman, Bale was so dedicated to the project that he didn’t even quit preparing for it when he was kicked out of the project (via GQ).
However, starring in the project was not easy for it was based on the critically acclaimed yet highly controversial book of the same name which is a very ironic and comical satirical commentary on today’s capitalist culture. But it was the book’s description of graphic violence towards women that forced many of the crew members to quit upon the insistence of their wives, as Bale revealed to GQ,
“There were a few crew members whose wives made them quit… But for those who thought we were really psychotic misogynists, most of the crew were women, for Christ’s sake – the director, screenwriters, script supervisor…”
Even after all this time as the book, the movie, and Bale’s portrayals continue to be opposed by certain groups and factions and even to some degree by the original author, there is no doubt that Christian Bale’s portrayal of Patrick Bateman is enough to have him in Hollywood’s hall of fame.
Even The Author Of American Psycho Has Problems With The Movie
American Psycho was written by Bret Easton Ellis as a dark, comedic, ironic commentary on today’s capitalist culture and materialistic ideology in 1991. From the way the book described Patrick Bateman, Ellis’ book has become one of his most famous and most hated books of all time. Made even more famous and berated after the release of the Christian Bale-starrer movie, the book is nonetheless a literary masterpiece.
However, Ellis is not too happy about the film adaptation and has often spoken up about it. The author expressed his dismay at the movie’s failure to interpret the true message behind the story and criticized its attempt to make literal what were supposed to be just ambiguous ironic events in the book (via Movieline).
Moreover, for the same reasons and others, Ellis has expressed how the book did not need to be turned into a movie (via Creative Loafing). However, the writer maintains that his feelings towards the movie are not negative but more mixed. Appreciating the film’s humor and satire, he maintains that the movie is okay although he did not think it needed to be made (via WTF with Marc Maron).
While the book can be bought on Amazon, the movie can be streamed on Amazon Prime.
