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.
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.
ETA: Misread the names.
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.
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.
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.
Ha! You’re lucky. I read your post in my email and was about to jump all over you.
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.
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.
Thread winner.
That I don’t mind. I have it on good authority that she is a selfish little pig.
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.
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.
I’m just wondering why the recording is being released now. I thought it was from last June.
Apropos of this discussion, may I suggest American Psycho? 
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This has been asked before but who gave the tape to TMZ so it could be released to the general public?
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.