10 Actors Who Perfected Roles YEARS Before The Movie
4. Christian Bale Spent Two Years Obsessing Over The Role - American Psycho
Christian Bale received global recognition in 2000 for his electrifying performance as serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, yet despite being just 25 years old at the time of shooting, Bale had been preparing - getting in character, even - for several years.
Bale had been hired by director Mary Harron in early 1997, but after Lionsgate acquired worldwide distribution later that year, they attempted to replace Bale - who only had a handshake agreement with Harron - with the more famous likes of Edward Norton and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Bale could not be deterred, though, and even as Lionsgate aggressively courted DiCaprio for the part while also attempting to replace Harron as director, Bale turned down other roles for an entire nine months, obsessing over the part - not unlike Bateman, perhaps - while confident DiCaprio wouldn't sign on.
Ultimately Bale turned out to be correct, as DiCaprio eventually bailed to make The Beach with Danny Boyle instead, and after Bale convinced Ewan McGregor to turn the part down, it was finally given back to him with Harron also returning to the project.
Before production began, Bale spent several months working out of his own volition, and then three hours per day with a trainer during the pre-production period.
For further inspiration, he studied a Tom Cruise interview with Larry King, fascinated by the actor's "intense friendliness with nothing behind the eyes," and also Nicolas Cage's astoundingly off-kilter performance in the 1989 black comedy Vampire's Kiss.
By the time filming began in March 1999, Bale had been swirling this character around in his head for more than two years, and so it's little surprise he delivered what remains arguably the strongest performance of his entire career, Oscars be-damned.