10 Comic Book Movie Performances ONLY Made Possible By Intense Method Acting

5. Christian Bale's Insane Weight Gain & Refusal To Break Character (Batman Begins)

Christian Bale is well-known for his fierce commitment to pretty much every role he takes on, to the point that he lost a staggering 62 pounds for 2004's The Machinist...and immediately after shooting wrapped, he started gaining 100 pounds over a mere matter of months for Batman Begins.

Bale was so committed to looking suitably swole to play Batman that he actually overshot his weight goal, and Warner Bros. had to ask him to lose a little weight in order to look less bulky for the film's frantic action sequences.

In addition to his inhuman weight yoyo-ing, Bale also had the name on his trailer door read as "Bruce Wayne" rather than his own name. It's a small touch compared to his intense weight gain, perhaps, but along with him maintaining Bruce's American accent throughout production, clearly worked wonders for him keeping in character.

Bale has stated that the main motivation for his intense method acting is that he otherwise struggles to stay in character. You can't knock the guy's dedication, that's for sure.