Christian Bale is known for his extreme dedication and commitment to the role he plays, with him going as far as transforming physically for the character. The actor has lost and gained weight depending on the character multiple times in his filmography. The Oscar-winning actor has gone through insane diets and unhealthy practices to do so.
However, Bale seems to have gotten over his obsession with changing his body for the role. He mentioned in an interview that one of his most celebrated transformations in the psychological thriller The Machinist ultimately was not worth the effort as he did not get a lot of money in it and he was yet to be an A-list star in Hollywood.
Christian Bale Lost 62 Pounds For The Machinist
Before Christian Bale became a worldwide star after starring as Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, he was only known for his films American Psycho and his role as a child actor in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of The Sun. Bale has faced a series of setbacks in his career after American Psycho as he had not delivered a hit yet.
The actor mentioned that he wanted to explore a character where he could be completely immersed as he was not satisfied with the roles he had played for the past few films. Christian Bale chose the role of Trevor Reznik, an insomniac with a mental illness in the psychological thriller The Machinist.
In an interview with GQ, he spoke about the character of Trevor Reznik and how he wanted to challenge himself by transforming himself physically,
“I’d come off of making a couple of films that I’d been less than satisfied with and just really wanted something where I could become immersed and obsessed with it. You know?…it was something that I really wanted to challenge myself and kind of see if could I achieve that. Could I fulfill how I imagined the part Trevor should be played? You know? And tested myself.”
To bring out the physicality of the character’s depreciating state of mind, Christian Bale reportedly lost 62 pounds and was on an insane diet. The actor mentioned that he would be on a diet of water, an apple, coffee, and whiskey. He also mentioned that he would smoke a lot while playing the part.
Christian Bale Regretted His Decision To Lose Weight For The Machinist
Christian Bale’s role as the malnourished insomniac Trevor Reznik in The Machinist was only the beginning of a career filled with radical physical transformations. Right after filming The Machinist, the actor reportedly had to bulk up to join the production of Christoper Nolan’s Batman Begins.
The actor lost weight again for his Oscar-winning role as a cancer patient in The Fighter. Bale also gained weight for his role in David O Russell’s American Hustle and then gained more weight for the role of Dick Cheney in Vice. He then had to lose that weight to film the sports drama Ford v Ferrari.
Christian Bale has mentioned that he has come to regret the rapid physical transformations, including that of The Machinist. The actor mentioned that he now felt that the effort was a bad idea as it did not fetch him anything in the end. He said to GQ,
“There was no money in it and it was like, ‘Ooh bloody hell, I’m gonna lose my place or [where] I’m living,’ and I was quite newly married and all that, so it wasn’t the business smart thing to do.”
The Machinist was made at a modest budget of $5 million and grossed only $8.2 million upon release. The film gained critical praise due to Bale’s performance and commitment and has since attained cult status.
The Machinist is currently streaming on Paramount+.
