20 Things You Didn't Know About Batman Begins
8. Christian Bale Fell Asleep In His First Scene
In 2009, Bale admitted in an interview that he nodded off in the first scene he shot for Batman Begins. The scene in question has Michael Caine's character, Alfred, waking up Bruce Wayne the day after he has encountered The Scarecrow. This may make him sound unprofessional but Bale insists he had to be genuinely asleep for the scene.
You see, Bale is a method actor. To perform a scene where his character is woken up, he didn't want to "act tired". Bruce Wayne's body had been exposed to the Scarecrow's Fear Toxin, meaning his body would be beyond exhausted. Bale felt like he need to be genuinely asleep to highlight his grogginess when Alfred woke him up.
On the first take, Bale woke up with Michael Caine poking him in the ribs, saying, “Look at that! He’s bloody fallen asleep." Now, going to sleep isn't particularly difficult. In fact, it's probably the easiest thing you can do in acting. But it's still worth pointing out since it shows Bale did everything in his power to make his performance in the film authentic.