Christian Bale earnestly apologizes for rant

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Christian Bale’s on-set rant against a technician working on Terminator: Salvation has only been out a week and is already the stuff of legend. It’s been parodied unmercifully in the media, and an amusing remix (link leads to video) has received over 1.6 million views on YouTube.

People are divided over whether it should have been leaked or not, and if Bale was clearly in the wrong or if he had an understandable fit of anger during the most intense scene in the film in which a lighting technician with whom he’d had the same issue with in the past was interfering. His own mother publicly commented on the rant, saying that she understood why he was upset but implying that he shouldn’t have carried on so long with it.

Christian Bale himself has decided to talk about the controversy. He called in to an LA radio station this morning and said that he’s had “a miserable week,” that the issue over the tape has affected him deeply, and that he knows he was in the wrong and has no excuse for it.

One thing that E! didn’t include in their coverage of this below is that Bale said “I’m not comfortable with this notion of being a movie star. I’m an actor… I don’t quite know how to handle the movie star thing. The thing that disturbs me is that I’ve a lot of people saying that I seem to think I’m better than anybody else. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I am a lucky SOB. I never forget that, and that is why I put so much into what I do, and why I care so much about it and sometimes that enthusiasm just goes awry. If anyone ever sees me thinking that I’m better than anybody else… stick a fork in me, turn me over, I’m done.”

The radio station that Bale called into has been mocking him on the air this week, and he said it was fine and that he deserved it:

After a week of unrelenting press coverage in the wake of his leaked onset rant, Bale unexpectedly chose to break his silence over the incident on KROQ radio’s popular morning show, taking full responsibility for his Terminator: Salvation explosion.

“It’s been a miserable week for me,” Bale told hosts Kevin Ryder and Gene “Bean” Baxter. “Listen, I know I have a potty mouth; everybody knows this now.

“The thing that I really want to stress is I have no confusion whatsoever. I was out of order beyond belief. I was way out of order. I acted like a punk. I regret that.

“There is nobody that has heard that tape that’s been hit harder by it than me. I make no excuses for it. It is unexcusable. I hope that that is absolutely clear.”

As for what brought on the much-played rant, Bale said the day’s shooting was particularly intense: “I put so much into what I do and care so much about it and sometimes the enthusiasm just goes awry.
“I’m embarrassed by it. I ask everybody to sit down and ask themselves, have they ever had a bad day and have they ever lost their temper and really regretted it immensely.”

Not that he doesn’t understand the public’s insatiable desire to hear—and mock and remix—the audio.
“Feel free to make fun of me at my expense; I deserve it completely.”

Bale, who could easily have chosen any worldwide media to deliver his mea culpa, said he selected KROQ because had been listening to the morning show’s mockery and incessant playing of his rant all week.

“I spoke with you guys a few years back; you seem like good guys and I wanted to talk with you about it,” he said, before adding that the DJs’ take on his rant made him laugh. “Believe me, this is no punk…”

(For those doubting the validity of the scoop, Bale’s rep Jennifer Allen has confirmed that it was the actor, and not the station’s dead-on Bale impersonator, Ralph Garman.)

As for any residual hard feelings between Bale and D.P. Shane Hurlbut, the object of his on-set rant, the actor said it ceased being an issue shortly after the outburst.

“We have resolved this completely…I have no intention of getting anyone fired. There is no problem whatsoever.”

[From E! Online]

He also explained the rant very well, and said that he was filming a rough scene “mixed up fact and fiction” and was “half John Connor,” when he flipped out. Bale was incredibly genuine and upfront in the interview and I got the impression that he would have felt bad about the rant even if the footage hadn’t been released. He said he worked out the issue with that guy he was yelling at that very day, worked with him for hours more that day, and for a month afterwards. He pleaded to the audience not to let his rant interfere with their impression of the movie, and said it’s a great film that everyone should go see.

Bale also had a message he wanted to give to Michael Phelps before he got off the phone, he said “Please, Michael Phelps, swim in the next Olympics… sure he smoked a bit of weed, plenty of our Presidents have, do not waste that God-like talent, swim in the next Olympic games.”

It’s also to Bale’s credit that he called into a radio station to give his first post rant interview and didn’t go the talkshow route. I would encourage everyone to listen to the tape of Christian Bale’s apology, it’s not on YouTube yet, but you can hear it on KROQ’s website (left side) and on E! Online.

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63 Responses to “Christian Bale earnestly apologizes for rant”

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  1. aleach says:

    wow, that apology is even hotter than his rant.
    he just keeps making me love him more & more…

  2. The Old KC says:

    I’m with ya, aleach….melting in my chair. Christian, YOU are the most amazing actor – please act in the next Olympics. I mean, in the next movie of your choice. (Sorry, I am swooning and got confused.) Whatever – as long as we get to keep partaking of your mad skillz. You rock! Yes, I’ve had bad days when I’ve yelled at someone and then immediately felt ashamed of my behavior – thankfully I’m no celebrity with cameras monitoring my every move and mood swing. This isn’t an issue, it was a bad moment and I’m sure the movie will still do fine.

  3. Diva says:

    RE: “I’m not comfortable with this notion of being a movie star. I’m an actor… I don’t quite know how to handle the movie star thing.”

    Then why do you pick roles like Batman and Terminator?

    That doesn’t make sense to me at ALL.

    But I think it’s cool he’s apologizing and taking responsibility for the whole deal.

  4. FF says:

    Normally I’m about ready to pour on the haterade for this sort of thing but I sympathize with him. He sounded tired in that tirade clip and it’s not uncommon for actors to be doing 18 hour days. It only takes one moment to completely flip out on someone when you’re being asked to bring it emotionally as it is. And he’s just not the guy that would want to be known for doing that because he hates the attention.

    He might want to take note though and get his temper sorted, I think it happened to highlight that fact.

    Now he’s going to have to put up with the paps and public trying to make him lose his rag. Like when Britney lost it.

    This can only keep sucking. So he’s going to have to man up and keep his temper to himself.

    Life’s kind of ironic.

    In fact, the only way this is going to work out is if the DP himself tells everyone to stop sweating it.

    It’s only blowing up this big because Bale generally keeps to himself, is known for playing volatile personalities, and had the curious incident with his mother and sister last year. It’s like a movie that keeps writing itself.

    Also, what’s been bothering me from the go: where the hell was the director? It’s his job to manage this kind of thing and yet he seemed to be sitting back and letting the DP interfere and then letting Bale’s rant go on so long. He should have nipped both in the bud like whoa.

    It comes across as if no one wanted to say anthing until Bale blew up about it, thereby sorting the situation himself.

    Everyone was made of fail on this one. Let’s hope it doesn’t go any further.

  5. Rreedy says:

    Be honest: If you were an actor/poducer/director/co-worker, would you REALLY want to work this a**hole? He needs to learn some manners, some of lifes’ basic lessons.

  6. FF says:

    ps – to Diva, with acting it’s all about doing what you haven’t done before. That’s why he did the Batman – he was almost getting typecast in period dramas before he added action films to his repertoire.

    You do as many genres as you can so you can keep getting hired for diverse stuff.

    I suspect he’ll do a few more smaller features now with lighter characters than he would have without this. Thank heavens for that at least, I liked him in Laurel Canyon.

    I’m glad that it happened in as much that he’ll want to try to avoid getting typecast as ‘that guy who flips intensely’.

  7. Ginny says:

    He always just sounded like a method-type actor to me. If he was interrupted in the middle of a scene, I can totally see him flipping out as John Connor. But then that’s not a weird concept to me, since I went to theater school and knew actors who got that into what they were doing, and even had teachers explain their own experiences with dealing with others and debate how dangerous that sort of thing could be mentally.

  8. Lil says:

    I heard this live this morning on my way to work and he came across as completely sincere and humble. I sincerely believed he was sorry for losing his temper and am impressed he called Kevin & Bean at KROQ to issue his apology. At first I thought it was a joke because they do stuff like that all the time but Ralph is the only one of the morning people who can do impressions worth a damn and he was in the studio talking as himself.

    Another thing, these guys (Kevin & Bean and their morning show crew) are merciless. They NEVER let anyone off the hook for anything and they really seemed impressed with Christian’s apology and what he said. They actually let Christian talk for long lengths of time, something they don’t normally do.

    Besides, Christian Bale has an incredibly sexy accent – who wouldn’t wan to believe him after hearing him. *sigh*

  9. KDRockstar says:

    Called it.

  10. FF says:

    KD, you said he was going to do the talk show circuit. This was radio – and more his style because I don’t think he likes interviews really or any of the film promo stuff.

    Radio’s as much as he could concede given the situation. I suspect his agent will push for something more but I hope he says no to anything on TV. That just would be way outside his comfort zone – and probably the viewers’.

  11. Darya says:

    Another spoiled actor. This turd makes millions of dollars for a few weeks of acting and he can’t hold his temper? What an arrogant tool he is. How would he like to have no job and wonder how he’s going to feed his kids? Go ahead-kiss his a** but there are ways to handle disputes that don’t involve swearing tirades.

  12. NotBlonde says:

    I figured. So many people got their panties in a bunch judging the shit out of him and a profession they aren’t a part of and don’t understand and now they look like they’ve all stuck their feet in their mouths.

    Good for him apologizing and for explaining to all those who are trying to discredit him what the deal was.

    Choosing to be Batman doesn’t mean choosing to be a “huge movie star” where everyone records your every move. You rarely see paparazzi photos of Christian Bale and he hardly ever talks about his personal life. I think he must have been a bit taken back when he realized people are willing to record and release something like that and that this many people reacted to it.

    I don’t think he realizes how many fans he has or how many people think he’s a celebrity now.

  13. Sauronsarmy says:

    I give him major props for apologizing HIMSELF instead of using some PR person to do it for him. How many other “celebrities” would do that?

  14. Cha Cha says:

    I accept your apology, Christian. Though I didn’t blame you for getting mad to begin with, you can cry on my shoulder. I’ll console you. lol

  15. Diva says:

    Choosing huge blockbuster action movies says wanting to be a huge movie star to me… but oh well.

  16. FF says:

    I don’t think he was spoiled, I just think he flipped out. It wasn’t about feeling entitled to talk to someone like that – it was about being at the end of your rag and someone setting you off right at that (wrong) moment.

    I find it really hard to believe that most people haven’t had a moment like that – and no, not everyone would respond like that but Bale did, which I’m sure he’s not going to stop hearing about any time soon, so it kind of works itself out.

    At the end of the day Bale was hired on the strength of his previous performances which were likely due to his taking his work so seriously. So it’s weird to get on him for doing what he’s always done. That’s one thing.

    The second is that the whole reason you’re not meant to mess with stuff on a live set is to a) not waste everyone’s time and money by ruining a take and b) not to distract the actors because this is exactly the kind of thing that can and DOES happen (all the time) – as it did.

    The director should be spanked on this. He should have stopped it when the DP did it the once and he should have stopped Bale’s tirade at the first minute. Seems like they were holding back to let anyone be the bad guy by calling the DP on it so long as it wasn’t them.

    And in real life people have been chewed out for less, for doing stuff that was simply an accident. Tinkerng on a live set a second time when it’s protocol not to is just asking for some kind of verbal smackdown – not that you deserve one but that it’s quite likely you’ll get one. Anyone doing something that’s their job that demands focus and attention shouldn’t be messed around with while doing it – it’s just as rude as the response he got. Saying actors get overpaid for what they do is a whole other issue.

    In short, both parties made mistakes – let’s hope they learn from them. I’m glad Bale apologised himself because the director’s comment seems curiously absent. And for the record I’m sure if this was a James Cameron set this either wouldn’t have happened or it would have been Cameron doing the flipping out because I’m pretty sure stuff like this happens on set every day – which is why most DPs just wouldn’t do that.

  17. Ash says:

    I never knew what Bale really sounded like until now. Hot. That sound clip makes me feel pretty sympathetic towards him. He’s still one of my favorite actors.

  18. KateNonymous says:

    The “half John Connor” thing actually makes a kind of sense; he was using (mostly) his American accent during the rant, which is how he would have sounded while filming. His real accent slipped through from time to time, but the bulk of it was in the character’s.

  19. Mairead says:

    Celebitchy – can you doublecheck that FF and I aren’t the same person? Either that or they are completely reading my mind! If anyone should have been handing out a bollocking it was the director and he’s the one who should have stepped in and told Christian to knock it off and go and calm down.

    It sounds like a genuine apology to me. I only wish that the two useless mouth-breathing knuckle-draggers living next to me would learn the meaning of apology (or divorce, either would suit me).
    You lot think that a 3 and a half minute rant was bad? – they’ve been at it for the guts of an hour (she has to repeat everything 3 times) and I guarantee it’ll start up again at 4am tomorrow and on Sunday.

  20. kate says:

    i wouldn’t kick him out of bed.

  21. Anna says:

    There is no excuse he could produce that would make the humiliation of this poor DP go away. Bale is just apologizing because he can’t afford to have such an unresolved scandal around at a time where he needs to do PR for his newest film. I don’t believe a word of that.

    Just listening to it made me feel abused, I can’t begin to imagine what being there must have felt like. And that subservient bastard McG is just as guilty as Bale in my eyes. On a filmset, the director needs to handle his actors and sometimes, as this incident proves, he should have the balls to restrain them and protect his crew. Shame on him for being so Bale-whipped.

  22. Zoe says:

    he had me at “Empire of the Sun” when he was like, 12.

  23. saffron says:

    His behavior is unacceptable.

  24. Orangejulius says:

    I’m genuinely surprised at the number of people who are shocked and find his rant inexcusable. It wasn’t all that fearsome to me…I’ve heard and delivered far worse…but maybe it’s his hotness that’s clouding my brain.

  25. pookynut says:

    So did he apologise as Batman, John Connor or Patrick Bateman?

    All I could think of as I heard the rant was if I was that dude he was yelling at, what would I do? You know they aren’t going to fire the star, so you either have to suck it up or quit and risk getting labeled as a “difficult” person to work with.

  26. Rosanna says:

    I love this man, and not just because of his look and talent. I love love LOVE him.

  27. sarah says:

    I just couldn’t believe that in his rant he called someone else “unprofessional”!

    But really, I find it incredible how quick to forgive everyone is, and the double standards that are so often applied to people in the spotlight, and men in particular. If this had happened at my work, the person screaming obscenities would have been seriously reprimanded. And a simple apology probably wouldn’t cut it. If it had been a actress who was screaming and swearing, she would have had to have several interviews apologizing, and the probably would have checked herself into rehab. But he was just “in the role”.

  28. Codzilla says:

    I was appalled by Christian’s rant (and if that makes me a prude or overly-judgmental, so be it), but his apology really did seem sincere. And as another commenter noted, he didn’t issue some canned statement via his publicist, he actually came out and spoke for himself. Good for him.

  29. j ferber says:

    Sarah and Anna are both right.

  30. xiaoecho says:

    These little ‘rants’ are getting to be a habit

    remember the dark Knight ‘rant’ of about 18 months ago?

  31. xiaoecho says:

    ….oh, I forgot the ‘rant’ against his mother and sister—-for which they had to call in the police

  32. Aspen says:

    [quote] I’m genuinely surprised at the number of people who are shocked and find his rant inexcusable. It wasn’t all that fearsome to me…I’ve heard and delivered far worse…but maybe it’s his hotness that’s clouding my brain. [/quote]

    It’s not his hotness. It’s your denial of that fact that you, too, have a serious anger management problem. If you have truly done “worse” than this to someone…you have a problem. There is nothing normal about that behavior.

  33. Lana says:

    ooooh…he’s hot…squeal…ooh..”I wouldn’t kick him out of bed”….lovesick and horny women drooling over a man who if they were with, would eventually turn his anger issues on them….something would tick him off sooner or later…bet on it.

  34. Cha Cha says:

    “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

    Get off your self-righteous high horses. I’m sure we could all dig up dirt on each other if we delved into each others private lives.

  35. Aspen says:

    I’m glad he apologized, but you have to remember that MOST abusive people apologize and feel genuine sorrow (part of the cycle) when their behavior is over.

    Men with anger issues are very prone to this. In a fit of frustration, they beat their wives and/or children…calm down from the rage…then apologize and shower the victims with gifts and guilt-inducing speeches of soft remorse. The victims buy said speech (“He’s REALLY sorry…he’s SUCH a good man when he’s not mad”), and the cycle continues.

    I hope he gets help with this…and I hope those of you who see nothing wrong with this kind of behavior will do the same.

  36. mimi says:

    I think Bale’s apologizing over the radio was sincere and completely in character for a guy who is not that comfortable playing himself in front of the camera. He seemed almost as upset by the fact that people were accusing him of thinking he was better than others, as he was by having his fans discover his fierce temper and “potty mouth.” I have no trouble believing that he is not that into being a movie star. Acting in front of a camera and dealing with hero-worship from fans are two entirely different set of skills.

    For those of you who aren’t buying his apology, fine, but I’d also say you aren’t so great at perspective taking, and I wouldn’t want to be in a relationship with any of you. I’m more ready to forgive someone who has an anger problem, and can acknowledge it, than someone who doesn’t give enough of a shit about anything to get worked up. Besides, Bale’s obviously passionate nature is a huge part of his appeal as an actor and what makes him fascinating to watch.

  37. Aspen says:

    I’m neither without sin nor casting stones.

    Although…that was gloriously self-righteous of you, and a very creative, cute method of defending an abuser.

    My vices are smoking cigarettes and drinking energy sodas. My great personal sins in my family life are a tendency to anxiety when there is too much noise or not enough order (which is when I remove myself and smoke or breathe or needlepoint or plug in to the iPod for a few minutes…RATHER than rage at my family), and a hideous potty mouth.

    Investigate me all you want…you won’t find me abusing people. Ever. I fly off the handle from time to time like everyone else. This means that I briefly snap at someone who didn’t really deserve it. Perhaps I might misunderstand the intent of my husband or child and express disappointment or annoyance or anger that they don’t deserve.

    I do NOT and have never cursed at them in a screaming rage…let alone done it for full minutes at a time. I know lots of people who have yelled when they shouldn’t have. None of them do it like Mr. Bale does.

    Inappropriate anger issues are a problem with this man. Whatever my faults may be, it doesn’t preclude me (or any other person of good sense) from recognizing and pointing out that people like this need help.

    Maybe instead of quoting Christ on a gossip board, you should examine why you don’t think his behavior is a problem.

  38. mimi says:

    I think we should let his wife worry about his temper. Since I won’t be in a personal relationship with this guy, I won’t let anyone make me feel guilty about easily forgiving this ACTOR his obvious flaws and continuing my lovefest with bale movies. Save your outrage and fake concern for women in real situations with abusive men.

  39. czarina says:

    Well, judging by the posts here, this has been a great PR success…Bale’s publicist has certainly earned his or her bonus. (For booking the spot on air, writing the “I deserve it” speech, and coaching Bale on just how sorry he should sound).
    He sounded sincere? He’s an actor. If he can’t sound sincere when he needs to, he is in the wrong business.
    to think of themselves that way.
    I strongly suspect that what Bale is sorry about is that his atrocious behaviour has been broadcast to the world.
    The man is a Russell Crowe in the making–no matter how hot or how good an actor someone is, if they don’t have any self-control they will kill their career.

  40. czarina says:

    Oh, I deleted something in the middle, but a line got left in (which makes no sense there, without the rest of the sentence!!!) PLEASE bring back edit!!!!

  41. Lori says:

    Spoiled brat.

  42. Autumm Leaves says:

    Czarina, you got that right!! Also, I miss the edit button as well.

    Next he’ll be on Leno of Letterman laughing it off. This is a b.s. apology. The heat got to him with the backlash and he’s doing damage control. He’s only apologizing because HE GOT CAUGHT. Typical. He made that director of photography and and whomever else at the reaching end his wrath feel like pure warmed over crap. He meant what he said when he said it. That extended version of that rant went on for over 7 MINUTES. WTF? Since Bale can get away with being a raging loon, I’ll go on my job and do the same thing. Then let’s see how far I get.

    Not. Sorry Bale, you’re just like Baldwin, Willis, and Crowe.

  43. Megan says:

    He has to apologise though, otherwise the movie will lose money.

  44. Autumm Leaves says:

    Darya, Aspen, Anna, Sarah, I couldn’t agree with you more.

    I’m a fan, but I’m not a fool. Life is too short to accommodate spoiled actors. Bale is not a cop, fireman, soldier, doctor, scientist. He’s an overpaid actor. Bale has anger mgmt probs that he needs to address.

    Bale apologizing over the radio is SAFE, without the glare of the audience, camera, or hosts. Typical bully. Bale has a pattern. Start with his momma and sister. My view has changed of him and he may be a fine actor, but I don”t think I will not support another bale move after this. And I love comic book/sci-fi movies.

  45. geronimo says:

    Great, he spologised, and yes, it sounds sincere and heartfelt. But it doesn’t change a thing as far as I’m concerned.

    That he’s capable of this degree of unhinged rage and total lack of respect for another person, privately or publicly, remains a major problem for him. I can repsect him as an actor but, outside of that, meh, total arsehole.

  46. geronimo says:

    *apologised *respect Oh edit button, how I miis you.

  47. lodongs says:

    I think it would be great if, in the midst of issuing a public apology, someone cut him off in mid-sentence and shouted: “OHHH GOOOOOOOD for you!”

  48. Mairead says:

    I’ve seen normally very relaxed and sensible people blowing up over a setback when work has become extraordinarily stressful, especially where they see a colleague has c*cked up (usually me).

    I’m not belittling workplace bullying or domestic violence nor am I saying he over-reacted or that he may well be a thundering gobshite in reality (much like many other actors I shouldn’t wonder) and I wouldn’t ever for a second support bullying, however, we don’t know the context.

    If he’s a constant bully without rhyme nor reason, then I’d fully understand and possibly support if this is a constant bullying on Bale’s part, whether the whole atmosphere of the set was conducive to bullying on a widescale (it’s usually not just one person, at least one other person, and usually those in charge has to be complicit). Or was it Bale being particularly short-tempered that month (work, illness, money etc) or was it really a once-off, so again, I’m extending him the benefit of the doubt i would like to have extended to me.

    Oh and I know 4 minutes sounds like an awful lot when you’re sitting listening to a recording. But perhaps I’m a bit nonplussed because my delightful neighbours started up again before 5am and again screamed, banged doors and threw stuff around for another 90 minutes. What I find more obnoxious about that situation is that they know there is a young family sleeping in the apartment on the other side of them.

  49. geronimo says:

    Mairead – agree in principle with lots of that (and sorry about your painful neighbours, that must really grind and wear you down) but for me it’s as much to do with Bale kicking off at someone he saw as lower in the pecking order than him, someone with less power, someone not in a position to fight back. If it was with the director, and the director was givng as much as he got, I’d have a different take on it. That’s my main beef, the unhinged, apalling, self-absorbed power trip.

  50. geronimo says:

    Just to add, maybe some of us have different tolerance levels when it comes to putting someone down in front of others. It’s not the rage that’s the problem, it’s that no part of him – neither the professional nor the instinctive human part – told him he was going too far and to stop. That says more than any apology ever will.

  51. Orangejulius says:

    I didn’t say that I condoned it or that I thought it was a good thing…I said I was surprised at people’s reaction. I was raised in a house where this was standard daily fare and no, I didn’t enjoy it and try not to inflict it on anyone else. I am human, however.

  52. Aspen says:

    Mimi…there is nothing fake about my concern.

    Having grown up in a house with a mother who had this same type of irrational and explosive temper…my concern is very real.

    People who never suffered the brunt of them would always brush off my mother’s rage issues as, “Well, you know, she’s under a lot of stress,” or “You know, she’s a passionate person and she always apologizes.”

    Somehow, if the person she was angry with had power over he or was someone who wouldn’t tolerate her anger…she could control herself. When it came to her child or her family or other “private” people from whom she had nothing to fear…she could rant and storm secure in the knowledge that there wasn’t a damned thing any of us could do about it.

    So I reiterate my point…which is now and has been on every post I’ve made concerning this man’s temper:

    Anyone who doesn’t see a problem with this behavior…has a problem.

    I never suggested boycotting his films, and I never denied his sex appeal. I also never said anything about anyone’s still finding him appealing as a film star being at issue.

    I simply don’t understand…cannot begin to understand…why anyone would defend this behavior.

  53. Mairead says:

    Aspen, believe me when I say I understand where you’re coming from.

    I’m not speaking for anyone else. In another thread I said that I wouldn’t condemn him for this outburst as that would be hypocritical. Apart from losing it with his sister and mother, there is no great evidence to suggest that he’s a bully at home, which I would never defend. Innocent until proven guilty and all that.

  54. Orangejulius says:

    I, for one, am not defending his behaviour. Everyone comes out of those childhood experiences differently. Again, I said that I wasn’t surprised by it – that doesn’t mean that I consider it normal or that I don’t think it demonstrates a lack of self-control. I merely said that I have been GUILTY on occasion of doing the same thing. I am not excusing it, I am understanding it.

  55. mimi says:

    aspen,

    fair enough. I’ve had angry people in my life too, and it was hard to forgive them their lack of self control when it so drastically affects everyone around them. I just think we should be slower to label someone an abusive bully because of one outburst. Context does matter. TBale may have only been playing at saving the world in the scene he was shooting, but for all his brain could tell, he was in the middle of a firestorm in Iraq. Not meaning to belittle the guys and gals in Iraq, just saying that when the fight or flight responses kick in and your veins are pumping with adrenaline, whether set off on purpose or not, it inhibits the more rational parts of the brain. What he says in his apology confirms this. I also think that decent actors have to lose their inhibitions somewhat to put it all out there like that.

  56. Cha Cha says:

    exactly mimi.

    I was not defending his behavior. But I also don’t assume he’s an abusive person just because he blew his top. And I think it’s ridiculous, for you Aspen, to conclude that.. So yes, I will stick to my conclusion that you are being self-righteous because you are talking about someone you know nothing about but 4 minutes of f*#kery. But nice try trying to think I’M being self-righteous. lmao.

  57. MT says:

    “Then why do you pick roles like Batman and Terminator?”

    Excuse me, but I have seen Batman and what he did with that role was to take it to a whole new level.

    He was incredible. One of the best films of the past few years.

    When I left the theatre, I was so amazed.

    When an actor leaves you like that, he cannot be “overpaid” like so many actors.

    This guy is one of the best of out generation.
    He is an actor. Not a movie star.
    He is not George Clooney or Angelina Jolie.

    He doesn’t sell his children’s photos or brings Vegas girls and talks about his house in Italy and how he has movie stars over for a good time.

    He is not in it for the show- but for the craft and the art.

    I just love him.

  58. Diva says:

    You’re excused.

    I saw it to, and his certainly wasn’t the performance that stood out to me.

    But to each his own.

    I still think he was a dick, though, lol.

  59. Diva says:

    I saw it TOO… dammit! I want Edit baaaaaack! lol

  60. Diva says:

    heehee… I don’t think Christian Bale will be hosting SNL anytime soon! Or hanging out with Bradley Cooper, lol.

  61. Leah says:

    I love that guy!!

  62. Ned says:

    A wonderful talented actor.
    I would blame the studio and the production for letting such a tape get out.

    Many actors do worst things than be angry with a crew member who twice interupted the work.

    Bale is a great professional. I wish we had more actors as talented and intense as he is.

  63. Laveda says:

    Hello everyone. Reveal not every secret you have to a friend, for how can you tell but that friend may hereafter become an enemy. And bring not all mischief you are able to upon an enemy, for he may one day become your friend.
    I am from Tanzania and too bad know English, give true I wrote the following sentence: “Business and individual tax returns prepared.”

    With love :p, Laveda.