How is Christian Bale still alive?
https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/6z4xh5/how_is_christian_bale_still_alive/
His extreme weight changes aren't just a for a couple of roles. No, he has done this consistently for almost two decades.share
His Machinist-Batman Begins transformation, where he was at record razor thin level to being beefed up in 6 months should alone be an eye watering period for any actor's career. Yet it's only one part of Bale's massive puzzle. To have an Olympic swimmer's body in American Psycho to regular buff for Equilibrium. Then he goes record stick insect level to then beef himself up so much 6 months later that he couldn't fit in the Batsuit, prompting the Batman Begins crew to tease him as 'Fatman'. Sheds drastically once again for Rescue Dawn, puts back all the pounds for The Prestige and The Dark Knight. Loses drastically once again for The Fighter, back up again for The Dark Knight Rises. Drops a few pounds for Out of The Furnace, then gets super fat for American Hustle, has to quickly drop his flab for Exodus, not least prompting raised eyebrows from Ridley Scott when he turned up on set as a fatass. He's at a reasonable level for his next couple of films. It was announced that Bale had to withdraw from Michael Mann's biopic of Enzo Ferrari because apparently he couldn't put on the weight, because of 'health concerns'. It looked like the end for Bale's antics...
And now he's at it again, getting fat to play Dick Cheney! HOW THE FUCK IS HE DOING IT! Oh, he has a doctor looking out for him you'll say. But seriously, to shred, to mould, to rebuild his body constantly like he's done for the past 20 years beggars belief. How does his wife and children even tolerate what he does, risking himself like that?
Of course it's a different scenario but Heath Ledger dying of an accidental overdose, leaving his kids fatherless should prey on his mind. I remember Bale being interviewed right after The Machinist saying he would never try to do such a stunt again. Well he clearly hasn't listened to his own advice. He's said in other interviews he doesn't like the extreme weight changing yet he keeps coming back to them, like a drug.
But hey, props to him nonetheless. He at least acknowledges that acting is a pretty weak 'job' and is one of the few to be humble about it and actually make an effort in his roles. I'm just staggered he's still walking happily, that his metabolism or his heart haven't fucked up. I remember reading up on Tom Hanks getting diabetes and it's scary what he did to himself for seemingly much less than what Bale's done on a constant basis.