10 Movies That Forced Actors To Face Their Fears

Going back and watching Batman Begins, it's clear as day that the Batsuit wasn't very comfortable for Christian Bale to wear.

For starters, the design of the cowl meant that he couldn't simply turn his head - he had to turn his entire upper body if he wanted to look in a different direction. And then there's the fact that being bolted into a sweaty rubber suit for hours at a time doesn't sound like the most enjoyable of experiences.

The actor himself would agree with that, but you might be surprised to learn just how uncomfortable the suit truly was. Bale hated it to the point of fear, and even came close to throwing in the towel and asking the filmmakers to recast the role.

"I felt like they should recast", Bale recalled while promoting 2012's The Dark Knight Rises. "I really did, because it was so claustrophobic that I didn't feel like I could breathe. I felt, 'They've made a mistake and I can't do this.'"

Fortunately, Bale developed a method to overcome this anxiety, and would ask the crew to leave him alone for 15 or 20 minutes while he performed some breathing exercises. The success of Batman Begins would then lead to one of the greatest movie sequels ever made - where Bale was granted the suit upgrade he was clearly in need of.