10 Villainous Performances From Actors Who Also Played Jesus

After the big-budget breakthrough of Steven Spielberg’s Empire Of The Sun in 1987, Christian Bale flirted with fame but didn’t commit for many years, taking roles in independent films like Velvet Goldmine and All The Little Animals.

Then, in 1999, the now-grown child star appeared in the TV movie Mary, Mother Of Jesus. Bale played Jesus in a story that followed the story of Christ from the perspective of his mother, and though he is a supporting player, he exudes a complicated compassion throughout the film.

Stunningly, it was only one year later that he played arguably one of the most vile people to appear in a film, period. The year 2000 brought Patrick Bateman to screen in American Psycho, in which Bale plays the psychopathic serial killer who uses the anonymity of self-focused, greed-driven 1980s New York City to commit unspeakable atrocities like murdering people and discussing the secret genius of Huey Lewis and the News.

Bale pulls no punches in his portrayal, laying the character bare (in some scenes, literally). He is monstrous and unrepentant, and his meltdown phone monologue is a stunning performance that cements him as by far the most villainous performance from an actor who also portrayed Jesus.