Christian Bale hopes to be “under the radar” again. But, unfortunately for the actor, his controversial rant on the “Terminator Salvation” set continues to put him in the spotlight.

In fact, his invective-filled rage has inspired a phrase, “baling out,” which is defined as “unleashing an epic storm of rage and profanity on the closest available target, regardless of said target’s responsibility for your stress level, a la Christian Bale’s infamous tirade captured during ‘Terminator Salvation’ filming.” The new phrase is included in the 2009 edition of “Cultural Dictionary” by Cramer-Krasselt, which publishes this collection of zeitgeist terms annually.

Speaking of storms, nature put on quite a show when we recently interviewed “The Dark Knight” star at The Peninsula Hotel in Chicago. Even as thunder boomed, and rain and hail fell from the dark skies, the actor sometimes spoke on an almost whisper level.

The night before, at the special screening of “Public Enemies” at the AMC River East, we saw Christian go up the stage with costars, Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard, as director Michael Mann called them one by one. Afterward, at the party held at the River East Arts Center, Christian amiably chatted with the guests who surged toward him and congratulated him on his performance in the film.Now here he was in a hotel meeting room, dutifully talking about Mann’s retelling of the story of John Dillinger (played by Depp), the legendary Depression-era bank robber who endeared himself to the downtrodden masses, including his girlfriend (Marion), even as he was being pursued by the authorities, led by Melvin Purvis (Christian), who was described as the “Clark Gable of the FBI.” Once more, Christian, playing a top agent from the South, proves his mettle as an actor. There are scenes where Christian does not have dialogue, but his eyes say it all.

If Christian had his way, he would prefer to keep a certain amount of mystery, thinking that the less the public knows about him, the better for them to watch him dissolve into his screen characters. But, his popularity, fueled by the success of the Batman franchise and heightened by his on-set F-bombing, has eaten away at any last bit of the Christian Bale mystique. So, understandably, at one point in the press con, he said, “I have not enjoyed the last year,” referring to the media brouhaha over his rant.

Responding to a question on how fame comes with a loss of mystery, the former child actor said, “It’s a shame. It certainly was not something that I sought out. I have to cling to the hope that I can disappear a little more, and people will once again be uninterested in anything that has to do with me personally.”

Tough luck on the public losing interest about his personal side, of course, but controversies do gradually die down, so maybe someday, Christian will get some of his mystique back. In the meantime, he claimed, “I don’t read anything about myself.”

Commitment

Christian’s director and costars, in separate interviews, unanimously praised his total commitment to his work. Mann said of casting for the movie, “I saw actors who have a passionate commitment and can really go for something. That’s Christian Bale. When he picks up a role, that’s it. I mean, he will nail the Southern accent, for example. And, he will be living with that accent 24 hours a day. It makes his wife crazy; his kid starts to say, ‘Daddy, why are you talking so funny?’ He won’t break it. So, he confuses even his family.”

Johnny shared, “Christian is deeply committed to his work. This guy comes in, stays in character for that amount of time—I couldn’t do that. He’s a great actor, and he’s a great father.”

Told about Mann’s comments regarding how he talked with his character’s Southern accent even when he was with his family and away from the set, Christian, ever the private person, kept his wife and daughter off in his answer: “I admire actors who are able to shake off accents and everything when they leave the set. I can’t do that. I don’t have that capability to just turn it on and off. I don’t choose to work that way.”

Marion, for her part, said, “Christian is very intense. He’s really into what he does, which is amazing. And, he’s a real gentleman.”

Patrician family

On a lighter note, when Christian was teased about always being seen in a black shirt, he smiled and said, “I usually wear T-shirts, but I’m doing an interview, so I should be respectful and wear a shirt. Fashion has never been something important to me. But, certainly to Purvis, it was very important. For the movie, they made the most wonderful tailor-made suits for me. They were of such fine quality. So, it does alter your bearing.”

When a journalist brought up Johnny’s Caribbean island (as recently featured on Vanity Fair), Christian grinned again and commented, “Unfortunately, I don’t have that, but I’m very happy where I am.” —Which is where? “At home,” he replied.

Source: Inquirer

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