For years it worked the same across the Atlantic in the U.S., with movie producers hiring Americans for their superhero roles, not for a second believing a stiff-upper lipped Brit could take on the role or physicality of their dynamic superheroes—until Christian turned that idea on its head and proved that super-heroes didn’t have to be American.
Following the success of The Dark Knight, Andrew Garfield (who calls himself British after moving to the U.K. with his parents when he was just four) landed the lead in The Amazing Spiderman. Fellow Brit Aaron Johnson played the lead in the superb 2010 antisuperhero movie Kick Ass. And Henry Cavill, best known for his hit Showtime costume drama The Tudors, is none other than Superman, doing his bit for truth, justice, and the American way. Batman, Superman, and Spiderman? That’s the Holy Trinity of American superhero movie franchises.
Now we’re not talking advances in civil rights, but Christian’s success with Batman demonstrated a change in the Hollywood mind-set. It was considered very risky for a studio to hire a relatively unknown British actor to play an American lead in a franchise movie. If Batman Begins had bombed at the box office, Christian would have been promptly replaced. Money talks! (Hulk, anyone?) Before Christian’s successful run with the Dark Knight, British actors had been typically relegated to the roles of Nazis, Romans, or wise wizards. But these all-important franchise movies—“tent pole” blockbusters to carry a studio’s summer season—depend on worldwide appeal. Christian’s worldwide fan base on the World Wide Web demonstrated that a British actor could carry the world on his shoulders—and take home an Oscar, too.
As his mum e-mailed on Oscar night, February 27, 2011, “Well done, son! Well done!”
Appendix A
Transcript of Christian Bale’s rant on the set of Terminator Salvation
BALE: Kick your fucking ass!
HURLBUT: Christian, Christian . . .
BALE: I want you off the fucking set you prick!
HURLBUT: Christian, I’m sorry.
BALE: No, don’t just be sorry, think for one fucking second. What the fuck are you doing? Are you professional or not?
HURLBUT: Yes I am.
BALE: Do I fucking walk around and . . .
BRUCE FRANKLIN: Christian, Christian . . .
BALE: No, shut the fuck up Bruce! Don’t shut me up!
FRANKLIN: I’m not shutting you up.
BALE: Am I going to walk around and rip your fucking lights down, in the middle of a scene? Then why the fuck are you walking right through like this in the background. What the fuck is it with you? What don’t you fucking understand? You got any fucking idea about, hey, it’s fucking distracting having somebody walking up behind Bryce in the middle of the fucking scene? Give me a fucking answer! What don’t you get about it?
HURLBUT: I was looking at the light.
BALE: Oh, good for you, and how was it? I hope it was fucking good, because it’s useless now, isn’t it? Fuck-sake man, you’re amateur.
BALE: McG, you got fucking something to say to this prick?
MCG: I didn’t see it happen.
BALE: Well, somebody should be fucking watching and keeping an eye on him.
MCG: Fair enough.
BALE: It’s the second time that he doesn’t give a fuck about what is going on in front of the camera. I’m trying to fucking do a scene here, and I am going “Why the fuck is Shane walking in there? What is he doing there?” Do you understand my mind is not in the scene if you’re doing that?
HURLBUT: I absolutely apologize. I’m sorry, I did not mean anything by it.
BALE: Stay off the fucking set man. For fuck-sake. Alright, let’s go again.
MCG: Let’s just take a minute.
BALE: Let’s not take a fucking minute, let’s go again. You’re unbelievable, you’re un-fucking-believable. Number of times you’re strolling and fucking around in the background. I’ve never had a DP behave like this. You don’t fucking understand what it’s like working with actors, that’s what that is. That’s what that is man, I’m telling you. I’m not asking, I’m telling you. You wouldn’t have done that otherwise.
HURLBUT: No, what it is, is looking at the light and making sure, that you are . . .
BALE: I’m going to fucking kick your fucking ass if you don’t shut for a second! Alright?
BALE: You do it one more fucking time and I ain’t walking on this set if you’re still hired. I’m fucking serious. You’re a nice guy. You’re a nice guy, but that don’t fucking cut it when you’re bullshitting and fucking around like this on set. I ain’t the one walking. Let’s get Tom and put this back on and let’s go again. Seriously man, you and me, we’re fucking done professionally. Fucking ass.
Appendix B
Bill for David Bale to get a green card
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2945
For the relief of David Bale.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 27, 2000
Mrs. FEINSTEIN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
For the relief of David Bale.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1.
PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS FOR DAVID BALE.
(a) IN GENERAL—Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, David Bale shall be eligible for issuance of an immigrant visa or for adjustment of status to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence upon filing an application for issuance of an immigrant visa under section 204 of such Act or for adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident.
(b) ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS—If David Bale entered the United States before the filing deadline specified in subsection (c), he shall be considered to have entered and remained lawfully and shall, if otherwise eligible, be eligible for adjustment of status under section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act as of the date of the enactment of this Act.
(c) DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION AND PAYMENT OF FEES—Subsections (a) and (b) shall apply only if the application for issuance of an immigrant visa or the application for adjustment of status are filed with appropriate fees within 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(d) REDUCTION OF IMMIGRANT VISA NUMBER—Upon the granting of an immigrant visa or permanent residence to David Bale, the Secretary of State shall instruct the proper officer to reduce by one, during the current or next following fiscal year, the total number of immigrant visas that are made available to natives of the country of the alien’s birth under section 203(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act or, if applicable, the total number of immigrant visas that are made available to natives of the country of the alien’s birth under section 202(e) of such Act.
Acknowledgments
Harrison would like to thank:
Harry, Lillian, Leslie, and Laurie Cheung—my family, for their unwavering love and support, even after I ran away from home.
Nicola “Nickels” Pittam—my co-author and dear friend. You are the only true superhero in Los Angeles. Thank you so much for sticking with me on a project that was literally years in the making!
Jennifer De Chiara—my agent, for your persistence and belief in my writing all these years.
Linda Gamst—for years of preparation and fortification, without which, this book might not have happened.
Jean McKay—for your guidance and support since day one—with love and affection.
Jennifer Lac Kamp—je suis mon coeur aussi.
Laurie Reid—the very first Balehead—and John McFetridge. You know, Bea, we could have saved Rupert Graves instead!
Dodger and Odessa—the home guard! Greenies all around!
Harrison and Nicola would like to thank:
Glenn Yeffeth, Jennifer Canzoneri, Erin Kelley, Lindsay Marshall, and the great team at BenBella Books.
&nbs
p; Angelica Jopson—we were so lucky to have you on our team. Thank you for your drive, initiative, and perseverance.
Henrick Vartanian—thank you so much for literally going the extra thousand miles for marketing support.
Ryan Doherty—the Big R for Big Web help!
Zac Witte—for marketing support and brainstorming
Dan Hogan, Bournemouth University
Michael Stead, Bournemouth Library
Scott Harrison, Bournemouth Daily Echo—thanks for letting us harass you.
Mark Passera, Edinburgh Napier University—for rolling the ball.
Jay Leno—a true gentleman; we hope this explains all!
Patrick Antosh—the cock-sock inventor!
More acknowledgments:*
African National Congress
Bournemouth County Court
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Bournemouth Daily Echo
Austin School of Film
Bournemouth School for Boys
Avonbourne Girls School
Bournemouth Public Library
* Production budgets and box office figures are estimates sourced from IMDb.com and Boxofficemojo.com.
Bournemouth University
Palm Springs Film Festival
BraveNewHollywood.com
Paramount Pictures Publicity
Brian Boeckman
Peter Jeffrey
British Midland
PR by the Book
British Airways
Q Scores Company
British National Archives
Screen Actors Guild
City of Los Angeles
State of California
Hallmark Publicity
Sundance Film Festival
Haverfordwest, Wales
Ted Fay
I.B.M.
Toronto International Film Festival
London Metropolitan Archives
Mark Lynch
United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority
Middlesex Crown Court, U.K.
NBC Publicity
U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services
N.F. Mendoza
Westlaw
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
Introduction
1 Empire of the Son
2 Father Figure
3 Bale-Out
4 Newsies
5 Christian Fail
6 Baleheads Begin
7 Little Women, Big Dreams
8 Golden Years
9 Before Batman, There Was Bateman
10 Post-Psychotic
11 An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
12 A Balance of Darkness and Light
13 Harsh Times
14 The Curse of Batman—It’s No Joker
15 The Fighter
16 Award Season
Appendix A
Appendix B
Acknowledgments
Christian Bale Page 27
