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Several actors have donned the Batman suit, but it was Christian Bale’s portrayal of the Caped Crusader inThe Dark Knighttrilogy that made it a billion-dollar franchise. His collaboration with director Christopher Nolan proved to be successful, and so it wasn’t the last time they worked together.
Fans witnessed Bale sport the Batman suit in 2005’sBatman Begins. The film was a massive hit, securing the franchise two more sequels that finally completed the trilogy. With this immense success, it was tough for the lead star not to get typecast for the role.
RELATED:“The thing I’m remembered for”: Christian Bale Wanted To Quit Acting After Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy
Christian Bale Wanted To Star In Roles Outside Batman’s World
In his interview withGQ,Christian Balecommented on the possibility of him getting confined to the role of Batman, with the actor admitting he loved the character:
“I loved that because I was like, ‘This could be it. I could never be anything but that.’ And for a lot of people, I won’t. I was like, ‘Ah, maybe I’m going to be forced to go do something different.’ And maybe this fing thing [acting] that I got forced into doing as a kid that I didn’t fing want to do in the first place, I’m out. And I’m free. And then it didn’t happen.”
Bale confessed he feared Nolan might not cast him other than Bruce Wayne. In 2006, Nolan worked on a new movie calledThe Prestige. It follows two competing magicians, who would be played by Bale and Hugh Jackman.
TheBatmanstar toldPaul Fischerthat Nolan did not approach him for the role inThe Prestige. It was he who called on the director to volunteer himself:
“Chris didn’t actually come to me with this. I actually read the script and I called him up and said, ‘I want in. I like Borden. I can really nail this character.’ You know, the question was could he see me as anything other than Bruce Wayne?”
Bale admitted it took quite an effort to convince Nolan, but the latter gave him a shot in the end:
“[Christopher Nolan] said, ‘Yeah, go for it.’ I do think he’s one of the best around, and I think you’re in bloody good hands. It’s nice to work with someone a number of times. You do get a nice little short hand between you, and you can really hit the ground running much quicker.”
The Prestigeended up becoming one of the most iconic projects ofChristopher Nolan, winning Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography.
RELATED:Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer Reportedly So Long the IMAX Prints are ’11 miles long, weigh 600 pounds’
Christian Bale Tried Out Variety Of Roles To Avoid Being Typecast
As it is a huge responsibility to portray a character who embodies the symbol of justice, it was also tough to get the image out of the public’s subconscious mind. Christian Bale confessed he was not worried about being typecast, although the 49-year-old actor admitted he tried to find ways not to get trapped in one role:
“I wasn’t worried about that because my feeling has always been with anything like that it all depends on the following roles I take and just ability as well you know.”
Bale also noted that Nolan’s overall vision for the film made the actor’s version ofBatmanless likely to get typecast. The various comic book references they used in the movie made Bruce Wayne more of a character with an animated personality.
The Dark Knighttrilogy andThe Prestigeare available on Netflix.
Sources:GQ,Paul Fischer
RELATED:Christopher Nolan: Oppenheimer More “Ambiguous & Paradoxical” Than $2.48 Billion Dark Knight Trilogy
Ariane Cruz
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3532
Ariane Cruz is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 3,000 articles published. Her love for pop culture and the creative arts fuels her passion to deliver engaging and informative stories. Her daily consumption of films, shows, and books keeps her energized for the day, along with her mission to serve as the bridge between fans and their favorite franchises.
