Christian Bale has played boxers, serial killers, superheroes, and most recently, a world-weary Army captain in the dark western “Hostiles.” But the one thing the Oscar-winning actor says he won’t do is a romantic comedy.
“I was asked to do a romantic comedy recently and I thought they’d lost their minds,” Bale said in an interview with The Guardian. “Cats have those insane half hours every evening. I think it must have been that for the production company. I don’t know why anyone would ever offer me a romantic comedy. I find ‘American Psycho’ very funny.”
While many people may have been disturbed by Bale’s portrayal of the chainsaw-wielding Patrick Bateman in the 2000 adaptation, Bale says he was laughing out loud when he first read the Bret Easton Ellis novel that inspired his breakout film. “I’d no idea people saw it as anything other than satire,” he confessed.
As for his latest role, Bale says he was engrossed by the script of “Hostiles” and his character, Capt. Joe Blocker. Joe is an Army captain who survived the bloody battles between American settlers and Comanche natives after the latter slaughtered his family. Holding racist feelings against Native Americans, the captain is assigned on his last job to escort a group of Cheyenne to their ancestral home to bury their dying chief, played by Wes Studi. Bale said he was amazed by Blocker’s arduous journey, in which he is forced to recognize the humanity of the group he hates.
“It was a gut feeling of reading it, wanting to read it again and thinking: there’s really something here that I can obsess with for a number of months,” he said. “It’s an incredible story of American history from the point of view of a man who is absolutely consumed with bigotry and hatred, finding his way back to being human.”
“Hostiles” is in select cities now and in theaters nationwide Jan. 19.
Ben Affleck Is Batman: 16 Actors Who Played the Dark Knight Before Him (Photos)
Lewis G. Wilson:Â The first actor to play the Dark Knight in Columbia Pictures' 15-episode TV series, "Batman." As the United States had just entered the second World War, Batman's nemesis was a Japanese spy called Dr. Daka, whose plan was to take over the U.S. through a group of American traitors. Wilson died in 2000.
Robert Lowery:Â In 1949, Lowery took over for Wilson in the sequel series, "Batman and Robin." Fun fact: he grew up on Wayne Avenue in Kansas City pursuing Hollywood stardom. He died in 1971.
Adam West: For an entire generation, West is Batman, thanks to his turn on the iconic TV series that ran from 1966 to 1968 and spawned a film. West's halting delivery and campy earnestness are a far cry from today's Dark Knight, but his Bruce Wayne stands as one of the most beloved portrayals.
Olan Soule:Â The character actor, with hundreds of film credits to his name, was the main voice actor for the animated "Batman" from 1968 to 1984. He voiced the Dark Knight in several iterations of the character, from "Scooby Doo" to "Sesame Street" and several "Super Friends" cartoons.
Michael Keaton:Â When cast as Batman in Tim Burton's 1989 film, fans wrote to Warner Bros. in protest. But to their surprise, his darkly comic portrayal clicked, and Keaton stayed on for "Batman Returns" and was supposed to be in a third -- but dropped out when Burton did.
Kevin Conroy: Although they never saw his face, Conroy is regarded by fans as one of the finest voices Batman and Bruce Wayne ever had during his tenure as the DC superhero, which began in 1992 with "Batman: The Animated Series." He also lent his voice to Batman in a number of animated movies and video games.
Val Kilmer: Kilmer took over for Keaton in Joel Schumacher's "Batman Forever," a box office hit that received mixed reviews. He opted not to return for the next sequel, "Batman and Robin," because he believed his heroic character was marginalized in favor of the villains. Looking back on Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze, he may have been right.
George Clooney: The then TV-star stepped up to the plate when Kilmer backed out and has regretted it ever since. "Batman and Robin" was critically panned and didn't do nearly as well at the box office as its predecessor did. Also? Nipples.
Bruce Thomas: This actor first portrayed the Dark Knight in a series of OnStar commercials that aired between 2000 and 2002, then reprised the role for WB's short-lived TV series, "Birds of Prey."
Rino Romano: The voice actor, who has also voiced Spider-Man, provided Bruce Wayne and Batman's chatter in animated series, "The Batman," which ran from 2004 to 2008 on Cartoon Network.
Christian Bale: Christopher Nolan cast Bale as the vigilante in 2005's "Batman Begins," a welcome reboot to the franchise that lead to spectacular sequel, "The Dark Knight," and another massive hit, "The Dark Knight Rises."
William Baldwin: He was on the shortlist to play the billionaire-turned-superhero in "Batman Forever," but lost the role to Kilmer. Over a decade later, he voiced the character in 2010 animated movie "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths."
Bruce Greenwood: The veteran actor, who most recently appeared on the big screen in "Star Trek Into Darkness," voiced Batman in 2010 animated feature "Batman: Under the Red Hood," as well as animated television series "Young Justice."
Ben McKenzie:Â The "Southland" and "The O.C." star voiced Batman for "Batman: Year One," a 2011 animated film based on the four-issue comics run of the same name from 1987. It was released on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download.
Peter Weller: The 66-year-old "RoboCop" actor voiced an aging Batman in "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns," a two-part animated movie released in December, and then January. Based on a 1986 comic book story arc by Frank Miller, the film followed Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham to after a 10-year hiatus.
Anthony Ruivivar: The "Southland" star is the latest actor to voice Batman in the newest animated series, "Beware the Batman," which began airing on Cartoon Network earlier this summer. Unlike earlier cartoon incarnations of the Dark Knight, "Beware the Batman" is entirely computer animated.
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Christian Bale, George Clooney, Val Kilmer and Michael Keaton aren't the only other leading men who've played the caped crusader
