Being one of Hollywood’s finest, English actor Christian Bale has starred in a myriad of films throughout his envious career. Collaborating with A-list actors and acclaimed filmmakers, Bale has had a truly fulfilling experience while shooting his projects. But among all of his movies, there’s this one $31M film that the actor had the most fun shooting.
While most of Christian Bale’s fans might consider the actor having the time of his life on the set of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, Bale actually had a phenomenal experience while shooting Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn (2006). Although the actor was initially scared of losing his life, Bale later revealed, that was the very essence that made him feel great.
Christian Bale Enjoyed Shooting Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn
Starting his acting career at an early age, Christian Bale has appeared in uncountable movies, during his Hollywood tenure. Proving himself as an extraordinary star, Bale collaborated with several A-list actors and acclaimed filmmakers throughout his career. But among his myriads of projects, the actor is best known for his role in American Psycho and the Batman trilogy.
Perhaps it’s one of the reasons why fans believe that Christian Bale might have enjoyed the best time of his acting career on the sets of the Batman movies. Considering the pop culture phenomenon of the DC flicks, netizens believed that Bale had the time of his life on the set of Christopher Nolan‘s trilogy, where he got to flex his stunning gadgets and automobiles.
But when asked personally about his best filming experience, Christian Bale’s response surprised millions. Although most fans expected the actor to choose The Dark Knight films, Bale instead noted Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn (2006), as the film, where he enjoyed the most. Discussing his experience with The Talks, the actor offered his shocking response.
“I can’t help but immediately think of various experiences with Werner Herzog on Rescue Dawn. With us, Werner included, doing things that everyone was looking at saying, “But guys, you’re going to die! What are you doing? You’re going to really catch a wild snake and maybe get bitten by it!” Those are great times… I just enjoy them monumentally.”
Revealing his response to the question about where he had the most fun while making a movie, Christian Bale stunned his readers. Just like his fans, even the interviewer wondered if the danger and the adventure were what appealed to him.
Christian Bale Was Initially Scared of Losing His Life On Set
Addressing the interviewer’s questions about why Rescue Dawn turned out to be his best experience, Christian Bale revealed appreciating the “extreme” challenges that were associated with the project. Discussing how he prefers shooting in real places instead of Studios, Bale explained how Werner Herzog’s movie offered that scope.
“I like when you can make it a little bit more extreme. Often I have found that movies are actually disappointingly sterile environments. The more you get away from the studio lot, the better. The further away from the location you get the more you stop making the movie as an answer to other movies.”
Although the actor noted preferring the outside location and the extreme challenges during his interview with The Talks, Christian Bale had previously expressed his fear while shooting the movie in real-time. According to a 2006 interview with The New Yorker, when the cast and crew were filming the dangerous sequences, Bale was scared of losing his life.
“I am not going to f*cking die for you, Werner! You got that? It’s OK. I didn’t sign up for a cakewalk.” Bale told Herzog.
Particularly during the helicopter scene that Christian Bale addressed during his interview with The Talks, the actor had come very close to dying. Assistant director Harry Knapp revealed how Bale was close to getting hurt while filming. However, Werner Herzog was apparently busy capturing the best shot.
Eventually, with mutual effort, and Christian Bale’s dedication and commitment to the role of Dieter Dengler, Rescue Dawn garnered praise for direction and capturing the emotional depth of the story. Although the movie wasn’t a blockbuster hit, it managed to showcase a realistic depiction of the experiences of prisoners of war. Since the movie is based on the true story of Navy Lt. Dieter Dengler, it ended up being a thought-provoking cinematic experience.
Rescue Dawn is available on Prime Video.
