10 Actors Who Went To Absurd Lengths For Recent Movies

On top of reportedly not being able to converse with Chris Rock when the cameras stopped rolling due to the comedian making him chuckle too much on set, Christian Bale also prepared for the role of Burt in last year's Amsterdam in a rather peculiar way, it must be said.

As the Dark Knight star himself revealed around the time of the eventual flop of a comedy mystery drama's release, his fascination with people led him down a particularly weird path this time around, with the Oscar-winner picking up "a lot of strange behaviour following people around on the street."

This wasn't simply a case of observing the odd passer by as he enjoyed a coffee in a nearby cafe, though. When talking to his director David O. Russell on the phone one day, Bale explained how he ended up following one "amazingly interesting guy walking down the street."

Before he knew it, the thespian had become a full-blown "weirdo stalker", wandering after the civilian and studying the figure Bale would ultimately class as "a big influence."

So, the next time you spot this particularly committed performer following a random stranger on the street with a notepad, don't be alarmed, he's just character building...