Christian Bale is that rare movie star about which we know almost nothing. With The Dark Knight opening in a week, he might be on the verge of the biggest movie of his career, but sitting across from the actor at a press event in Beverly Hills, it’s impossible to imagine that it’s going to change what he does or how he does it; averaging two films a year in what tend to be physically demanding roles, with three more films — including a new Terminator — movie in production, it’s likely he’ll just return to some set, away from the gossip mags.

Talking about his second shot at portraying Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman, in director Christopher Nolan’s stygian reboot of the comic movie franchise, Bale is as thorough as a movie critic when he talks about his inspiration and process in creating the role.“He has this great shadow side borne of the pain and death of his parents,” Bale says of the caped crusader, “His creation of Batman has never been helpful for his own life. He has a great capability for violence, and he’s given himself this one rule that he will not kill, because he sees how easily he could cross that line. The Joker is the one who’s made him question his ethics more than anybody up until now, and tempting him to break his own rule, because if he breaks his own rule he can possible prevent the deaths of many people. And in that case is it selfish to hold onto his own principles – should he break his own principles for that?”

The subject turns to Heath Ledger, whose Joker will be his penultimate movie role. Bale is full of respect for the late actor’s professionalism, frequently praising him for his “commitment.”

“That was our very first scene together,” Bale says, referring to a brutal interrogation scene between Batman and the Joker. “And it was a great way to start, because we were afforded the luxury of — for some part of the scene — being completely alone in that room with the cameras outside, with just mirrors surrounding us, and the two of us eyeballing each other. And everywhere you looked just seeing reflections of the two freaks sitting at a table together.”

“Me sitting opposite him, I was getting real pleasure from seeing the satisfaction he was getting from it, because I could recognize the same satisfaction that I get from acting. When you have anybody who was as good as him, it becomes that much easier to create great scenes.”

Source: Metro News

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