American Psycho was the film that catapulted Christian Bale to Hollywood stardom. The film, directed by Mary Harron, was a risky production as many disapproved of the adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s controversial novel. Bale became Harron’s choice for the lead after he attended a screen test with the director. However, there was immense pressure to replace Bale, and they were both briefly fired from the movie after Harron refused to budge.
When the other options for the film fell apart at Lionsgate Studio, they rehired Harron, who was the only director with a clear vision for the film. However, Harron insisted on returning only if Bale was cast as the lead.
American Psycho Director Defended Christian Bale’s Casting At All Costs
Mary Harron initially approached Billy Crudup for the role, but he turned it down after reading the script, feeling he couldn’t convincingly portray Patrick Bateman. She then sent the script to Christian Bale, who was initially uninterested in reading the script due to his unfamiliarity with the novel. However, when he read it upon the insistence of his Velvet Goldmine producer, Christine Vachon, he was instantly drawn to the script.
The Vice actor even convinced his Velvet Goldmine co-star Ewan McGregor, who also liked the script, to give up the role for him. During an interview with GQ where he discussed his most iconic roles, Bale revealed that he and Harron quickly connected over the sick sense of humor they found in the script. They even secured funding for the project after a stage reading in New York.
However, the investors who had a problem with The Dark Knight actor’s casting threatened Harron that they wouldn’t provide funding unless Bale was replaced by a more famous star. They eventually kicked both Harron and The Machinist actor from their production. Bale told GQ:
“She really put herself on the line, you know? And I so appreciate that because she had so many known actors who were stepping up and wanted to do it. And she just said, “No, I want Christian,” even though all the financiers were saying, “We’re gonna give you no money.” And then actually kicked the two of us off.”
Interestingly, the role was offered to Leonardo DiCaprio, and Oliver Stone was brought in to replace Harron. However, DiCaprio and Stone didn’t see eye to eye on many of the film’s creative decisions. Stone left the project shortly after, followed by DiCaprio, leaving the studio no choice but to return to Harron.
Despite His Firing, Christian Bale Kept Prepping For American Psycho
Christian Bale revealed that he became a bit delusional after his firing from American Psycho. The Amsterdam actor refused to accept any other roles during this time and continued prepping for the role. Harron and several friends advised him to let go of the role, but the Ford v. Ferrari actor kept his hopes high. His determination paid off when the studio called him back for the role. Bale shared with GQ:
“Even though other people were cast, other directors were on board, I just kept on prepping and I would call Mary up and she would say, ‘Christian, they’ve given it to other people.’ And I was like, yeah yeah yeah, no, it doesn’t matter. We’re still gonna make it. And she was like, oh, he has lost the plot. And all my friends were saying that to me like, ‘What are you doing?’ […] And lo and behold, look at that, it did eventually come back. So that felt like a great victory.”
Even after casting, Bale’s co-stars initially doubted his performance as Patrick Bateman. But their perception changed once the Thor: Love and Thunder actor got a surprisingly positive response from the audience. The film, made on a small budget of $7 million, went on to collect a decent $34 million at the box office. Over the years, the film achieved a cult status among movie lovers.
American Psycho is now available for streaming on Peacock Premium.
