All Of Christian Bale's Most Unbelievable Movie Transformations - Ranked

American Psycho was Bale's first real transformation for a role as the ones he held previously didn't require such a specific look. When he took the part, he was already in good shape, but to play Patrick Bateman, his physique had to be statuesque and, in a word, perfect.

The character's image was everything, which meant Bale's body had to be as close to perfection as possible. One of his primary goals was to secure a six-pack and turn as much fat into muscle as possible. To accomplish this, he did little more than workout and hit the gym for months.

In an interview with The Guardian, Bale described how he prepared for the role. “Working out took over my life,” Bale said. “I became fascinated with talking about the body, and diet, and the gym. It made me very judgmental of other people’s bodies as well.”

This wasn't just some look that was hidden under a suit and tie either. In several scenes of the film, Bateman goes through his workout routine and flashes various poses at the camera while looking in the mirror. His obsession with his image became Bale's for a time, but eventually, he altered his appearance for the roles that followed.

Much of Bateman's character is tied into his physique as it was in the book that inspired this film. Bale's performance truly showed how that desire for physical perfection could be played off as the character, and for anyone who read the book, Christian Bale was Patrick Bateman, which is a frightening proposition.