Chameleon

When we sit down to watch a movie we either only see the actor portraying the character, or forget there's someone behind the character entirely. This could be due to the style of acting being used, or maybe due to the Hollywood status the actors carry. Stars like Tom Cruise, Dwayne Johnson, and Ryan Reynolds will always be themselves on screen regardless of the script they’ve been given. Though this isn’t a bad thing. These big names, along with many others, have been feeding the ecosystem of cinema for decades. Keeping loyal fans returning even if the films themselves weren't all that great. 

Something more entertaining than a big name actor you recognize in a film? The big name actor you don’t recognize at all. The kind of guy that leaves you awestruck, melting into the film alongside him as you both disappear. 

An actor like Christian Bale.

Bale’s success on the silver screen is a unique one. 

Starting his career when he was only eight Bale landed a pair of commercial acting roles. Followed by his big break in Spielberg's 1987 film Empire of the Sun. The blockbuster propelled him into childhood “fame”, if you can call it that. After the release not only was Bale recognized everywhere at the age of thirteen but he couldn’t go to school without being bullied, causing him to resent acting altogether. On top of that he was suddenly the primary income for his family, creating pressure to keep acting which in turn pushed him further away. You could say through his teen years he had a love-hate relationship with acting. 

It wasn’t until his twenties that we finally saw him come to life, or disappear rather. 

In the 2000 film American Psycho, Bale gets what could be called his adult actor recognition. Not just a child star who's trying to make it, but instead a young prospect with a committed approach. 

Total Immersion.

In the next decade he unraveled a string of fascinating performances.

• The Machinist (2004) dropping roughly 65lbs, surviving only on tuna and an apple daily, with black coffee, water, and heavy smoking to curb his appetite
• Batman Begins (2005) bulking up nearly 100lbs in just six months, following his extreme caloric deficit, while training in fighting methods like keysi, traditional boxing, and jujitsu
• The Prestige (2006) playing two different characters, trained with professional illusionists to perform sleight-of-hand magic
• Rescue Dawn (2006) again dropping 55lbs, refused food props on set, eating real insects, and enduring real waterboarding
• The Dark Knight (2008) bulking back up to portray the caped crusader again
• The Fighter (2010) melting into a deteriorating meth-addict with a thick East Coast accent 

Though it's not just about the weight he lost or the skills he learned, it's the fact that he was at the box office twelve times in this six-year stretch and it didn’t feel like it. Why? Because it's never Bale in the movies, it's the characters. It’s Alfred Borden, Bruce Wayne, and Dickie Eklund. 

So how does he do it?

Bale has used a wide range of psychological prep, obsessing over the characters he’s portrayed. Along with all of the physical traits, like posture, the way someone walks, facial expressions, and even eye contact. As far as his accent(s) he's a chameleon. From Wales, he naturally has a Southern English accent but you wouldn't think it, especially with his classic gravelly Batman voice. It can be fun to imitate, but consider this, a man from Wales, pretending to be American, pretending to be Batman.

Over the years Christian Bale has given us countless roles that keep us asking how, and maybe that's how it's supposed to be. To the naked eye of the fan, maybe we’re not really supposed to know, and if we did it might take away from the wonder we crave when watching a movie anyway.