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

3. Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), & The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Christian Bale Machinist Vice
Warner Bros.

One of Bale's most intense physical transformations came when he took on the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan's Trilogy. He played the part three separate times between 2005 and 2012, which means he had to return to form for that role on three separate occasions.

To get in shape for Batman Begins, Bale put on an additional 96 lbs (43.4 kg) of muscle so he could stick to around 220 pounds in total weight. This gave him the superhero look without going too over-the-top in terms of mass so he could still play a believable Bruce Wayne.

To prepare, Bale hit the gym hard. He had just come off of filming The Machinist and believe it or not, he only had six weeks to get ready for his first screen test! This meant Bale had to gain mass by gorging himself on food while basically living in the gym. He somehow managed it and completely converted his body from skeletal to muscular in a matter of months.

The amazing transition Bale made for Batman Begins is only a small aspect of his total performance in the trilogy. Between filming the three movies, he gained and lost weight repeatedly for several of the roles on this list. Few people could manage to do it once, but he managed it three times to become the Dark Knight.

Looking back, it's hard to believe so much time passed between performances, but most fans agree, Bale was the best Batman in recent years. His work on the character was believable as both Bruce Wayne and the Dark Knight, which is not as easy to pull off as he made it look.

Contributor
Contributor

Jonathan is a graphic artist, illustrator, writer, and game designer. Jonathan retired from the U.S. Army in 2017 and enjoys researching and writing about history, science, theology, and many other subjects. He writes for ScreenRant, CBR, NerdBastards, Listverse, Ranker, WhatCulture, and many other sites online. You can check out his latest on Twitter: @TalkingBull or on his blog: jonathanhkantor.com