8 Little Known Tics In Christian Bale's Performance That Made American Psycho's Patrick Bateman Epic
2. The Confession Monologue Was Performed Something Like 15 Times To Drain Him
Another one of the more memorable scenes that found their way into the finished article that was American Psycho involved Bale's Bateman confessing to his lawyer down the phone in a panicked and flustered state about the murders he has committed throughout his life.
In order to get Bale in a position where he believably delivered the stirring monologue like a desperate man with nowhere else to run, Mary Harron had Bale perform the scene over and over again.
This eventually led to the actor, frequently topped up on cappuccinos between takes, performing the scene somewhere around 15 times. However, Herron felt this was completely necessary as each new time he exploded through the confession like a man possessed, the scene got better and better.
It's a testament to Bale's ability as a performer that he was able to conjure up the insane amount of energy and focus needed to pump out this gripping bout of verbal diarrhoea that many times without dropping. But, you know what they say, 15th times the charm, right?