# Christian Bale loses his temper **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 3, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256 "2009-02-03T15:03:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/181 "2009-02-04T17:48:12Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > This is the second movie in a row that this guy has worked with the director. He must like his work. He certainly knows by now how he does his job. So yes he is blameless. He is working the way his boss wants him to work. The reason why he was hired. If Bale has a problem with the way the set is run as was said upthread, then he should take it up with the boss, not the help. Well he also hired Christian Bale. So we can probably agree that McG is really the bad apple here, he hired a twitchy, hard of hearing (apparently), oblivious DP and a talented, yet moody prima donna-ish actor with anger issues and when it was clear there was problem he did next to nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/182 "2009-02-04T18:14:39Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Well he also hired Christian Bale. So we can probably agree that McG is really the bad apple here, he hired a twitchy, hard of hearing (apparently), oblivious DP and a talented, yet moody prima donna-ish actor with anger issues and when it was clear there was problem he did next to nothing. Agreed. Lets get him. He should realize that he is 40 and getting paid big boy money to make movies, not music videos. Time to drop the childhood nickname Joe. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/183 "2009-02-04T18:29:25Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > This is the second movie in a row that this guy has worked with the director. He must like his work. He certainly knows by now how he does his job. So yes he is blameless. He is working the way his boss wants him to work. The reason why he was hired. If Bale has a problem with the way the set is run as was said upthread, then he should take it up with the boss, not the help. I think this is the first time that Bale has worked on a McG movie. And I’m guessing now it’ll probably the last McG movie he’ll work on too too. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/184 "2009-02-04T19:02:43Z")
ETA: Misread the names. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/185 "2009-02-04T19:03:20Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > This DP is notorious for tinkering with lighting while the cameras are rolling and the actors are working. This incident is being discussed on industry sites and almost everyone is taking Bale’s side. The general consensus is, Yeah, his reaction was over the top, but the photography staff had it coming, and what’s really going on here is, Bale was sick of McG failing to control his crew, and was deliberately making a huge scene in order to call leadership’s attention to the lack of focus and professionalism on the set. He was ranting, in other words, not at this guy specifically, but at what he believed to be a poorly-run production. That is the most fucked-up excuse for communication I’ve ever heard. “I’m going to scream at this one guy for four minutes, and threaten to kick his ass, but what I’m _really_ doing is calling leadership’s attention to a general lack of professionalism on set.” It’s such a transparent rationalization of bad behavior as to be laughable, and the contention that “things are different in this industry” (a paraphrase, not a quote) is equally risible. > [@](#): > > Also being discussed is the sheer underhanded bitchiness of somebody on the crew getting a hold of this audio and releasing it to the world. Completely understandable, given the breathtaking unprofessionalism of The Star, which the helpless crew apparently has no means to battle directly. I mean, not only is this sort of abusive behavior _tolerated_, it is apparently actually _excused_ in “The Industry.” So what other recourse does a crew have? Apparently they can’t depend on the director to protect them from such grossly insulting behavior. And apparently many in their industry would actually argue that such behavior is excusable, and tolerating it is not too much to ask. > [@](#): > > There is crap like this on virtually every film set (the quiet exceptions, like movies directed by Clint Eastwood, are noteworthy for being different), and the recordings disappear into the archives if they’re retained at all. That this one escaped is unusual and speaks further to the unprofessionalism of McG’s production. I think it says volumes on how skewed views can become on this issue, that the unprofessionalism you would focus on and criticize is _releasing the recording_, not _pitching the shit-fit in the first place_. IMO it’s through the looking glass in terms of what is, or is not acceptable behavior, as is your contention that it is the actors and sets who/which practice professionalism that are remarkable, whereas the ones where overpaid stars scream at subordinates are business as usual. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/186 "2009-02-04T19:08:44Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > ETA: Misread the names. Ha! You’re lucky. I read your post in my email and was about to jump all over you.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/187 "2009-02-04T19:09:14Z")
What’s really disturbing is the rumor that after this tirade, Bale called Alec Baldwin’s daughter and REALLY let her have it on voicemail. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/188 "2009-02-04T19:16:08Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > To me this makes it worse. If you have a problem with the director then take it out on the director. Taking it out on a lacky makes you a pussy. A DP is not a “lackey”; this wasn’t some gaffer screwing around. On the set, the DP is in charge of a lot of what is going on to prep the scene; the director is not a micromanager–he delegates to key members of the crew on the technical stuff while he talks to the actors, etc. He’s not going to say Action until all those key members (especially the DP) give him the go-ahead that everything is Ready. If the offensive coordinator was playing I-tunes on Tom Brady’s QB headpiece in the middle of a playoff game, do you think Brady is going to chew out the coach or the O.C.? I work in the industry but don’t visit the set that often. But I was on the set just a couple of weeks ago (for something significantly less costly and, some might say “more trivial” than a Terminator movie), and the cardinal rule was Stay Rooted (no wandering), Stay Quiet (no murmuring), and Stay Away if you have something unrelated that you absolutely “have” to be doing at that moment. This was likely the straw that broke the camel’s back, and while I think this makes Bale look bad (a bit too gratuitously), I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt to him. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/189 "2009-02-04T19:16:27Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > What’s really disturbing is the rumor that after this tirade, Bale called Alec Baldwin’s daughter and REALLY let her have it on voicemail. Thread winner. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/190 "2009-02-04T19:24:29Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > What’s really disturbing is the rumor that after this tirade, Bale called Alec Baldwin’s daughter and REALLY let her have it on voicemail. That I don’t mind. I have it on good authority that she is a selfish little pig. > [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > A DP is not a “lackey”; this wasn’t some gaffer screwing around. On the set, the DP is in charge of a lot of what is going on to prep the scene; the director is not a micromanager–he delegates to key members of the crew on the technical stuff while he talks to the actors, etc. He’s not going to say Action until all those key members (especially the DP) give him the go-ahead that everything is Ready. > > If the offensive coordinator was playing I-tunes on Tom Brady’s QB headpiece in the middle of a playoff game, do you think Brady is going to chew out the coach or the O.C.? I work in the industry but don’t visit the set that often. But I was on the set just a couple of weeks ago (for something significantly less costly and, some might say “more trivial” than a Terminator movie), and the cardinal rule was Stay Rooted (no wandering), Stay Quiet (no murmuring), and Stay Away if you have something unrelated that you absolutely “have” to be doing at that moment. > > This was likely the straw that broke the camel’s back, and while I think this makes Bale look bad (a bit too gratuitously), I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt to him. When I used the word lackey I knew I was overstating. However, I was responding to someone who I guess works in the industry saying the real problem everyone has is how loose a ship Joe Nichol is running. (see what I did there?) If that really is the problem then Joe should take the hit. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/191 "2009-02-04T19:27:42Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Screwing up is not the same thing as being an ass. That’s a ridiculous use of the word. Screwing up once is not the same thing as being an ass. Screwing up repeatedly, in the same way, after being told precisely what you have to do to not screw up - is being an ass. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/192 "2009-02-04T19:31:04Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Screwing up once is not the same thing as being an ass. Screwing up repeatedly, in the same way, after being told precisely what you have to do to not screw up - is being an ass. I wish people in this thread would go head and admit they have no earthy idea what this guy actually did, or how many times he did it. All I know about him is that he apologized profusely for his mistake. Based on that, he is not an ass. ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/193 "2009-02-04T19:36:55Z")
I’m just wondering why the recording is being released now. I thought it was from last June. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/194 "2009-02-04T19:38:04Z")
> [@Linty\_Fresh](#): > > Yeah, right about now, I want to see a Christian Bale movie. _Any_ Christian Bale movie, just to support the guy. Apropos of this discussion, may I suggest [American Psycho](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144084/)? 😛 > [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > AS has already been pointed out, that has nothing to do with Bale. Perhaps not directly, but if an actor gets a rep for running up production costs by requiring constantly multiple takes it can affect his marketability. This isn’t likely to happen to Bale, but nonetheless a good actor prides himself on being ready to go and getting it done in minimal takes. Believe what you will about him personally, but he’s a VERY good actor. [QUOTE=Labrador Deceiver] All I know about him is that he apologized profusely for his mistake. Based on that, he is not an ass. [/QUOTE] I beg to differ. There is a personality type that is ALWAYS profusely apologetic about screwing up, sometimes obsequiously so. However, these people continually make the SAME mistakes, over and over, they’re ALWAYS apologizing but never correcting their behaviors. It’s classic passive-aggressive behavior and it can make people very, very stabby. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/195 "2009-02-04T19:43:13Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > I beg to differ. There is a personality type that is ALWAYS profusely apologetic about screwing up, sometimes obsequiously so. However, these people continually make the SAME mistakes, over and over, they’re ALWAYS apologizing but never correcting their behaviors. It’s classic passive-aggressive behavior and it can make people very, very stabby. Which is way I am basing my remarks on what information I have, not on the actions of a bunch of hypothetical people. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/196 "2009-02-04T20:01:08Z")
Hmm, his reaction is a commonplace in the corporate world in boss’s and executive’s offices when no HR people are present, I’ve seen the same often. It’s probably the same stuff that gets yelled between producers at the studio offices. I’m not condoning it, but Bale is just unlucky enough to have it caught on tape. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/197 "2009-02-04T20:10:44Z")
> [@Jodi](#): > > I mean, not only is this sort of abusive behavior _tolerated_, it is apparently actually _excused_ in “The Industry.” So what other recourse does a crew have? Apparently they can’t depend on the director to protect them from such grossly insulting behavior. And apparently many in their industry would actually argue that such behavior is excusable, and tolerating it is not too much to ask. I have no real opinion about what Bale did. I don’t know the industry - maybe it was crazy over the top, maybe it was super justified. I just wanted to point out that this sort of behaviour is not just tolerated in 'The Industry," it’s tolerated in many other industries. I personally know a surgeon who is as close to bat-shit insane in the OR as it’s possible to be. She screams at med students, interns, residents, nurses. She’s thrown scalpels around the room (wish I were joking here). She regularly bans people from coming in her OR. Do you know why she can get away with this? Because she’s the best at what she does. If I have to get my neck cut open and a tumour excised from my thyroid gland, she’s the one I want doing it. Not only does she have better outcomes than many other surgeons, the scar will be smaller. And when I wake up and express my fears to her, she will be kind and understanding and make me feel reassured because I am her patient. In the Bale scenario, I am the fan and the movie goer. It doesn’t matter to me if Bale is a dick on set. In fact, perhaps I’ll give him a pat on the back because him being a dick on set ensures that a better product is produced. Anyhoodle - anyone who thinks this sort of thing doesn’t happen in every industry is fooling themselves. It just doesn’t usually get recorded. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/198 "2009-02-04T20:11:41Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Which is way I am basing my remarks on what information I have, not on the actions of a bunch of hypothetical people. That’s why they say in this day and age you should just expect you’re on someone’s video camera. If you want to pick your nose, go ahead, but don’t expect someone isn’t watching. I’m willing to wait and see if there are more Bale incidents. If he’s a nice guy, it’ll float to the top. If he’s an asshole with prima donna anger management issues, this won’t be the last thing we hear about it. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/199 "2009-02-04T20:18:01Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > I’m not condoning it, but Bale is just unlucky enough to have it caught on tape. This has been asked before but who gave the tape to TMZ so it could be released to the general public? ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256/200 "2009-02-04T20:33:41Z")
Hi, I used to work for a veterinarian that would regularly launch into similar tirades- sometimes warranted, sometimes not. He was also a damn good vet and I learned alot from him (including an appreciation for those with more positive management styles). One thing I learned was that when you are faced with someone in that frame of mind, just shut up and let them vent. My old boss would only last a minute or two if you kept your mouth shut, but if you tried to defend yourself, it would turn really ugly. If you waited till after the incident and then defended yourself, you’d most likely get an apology. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-loses-his-temper/484256.md?page=11)