# Christian Bale. Whaddya think of him? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 18, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-whaddya-think-of-him/176030 "2003-05-18T07:03:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-whaddya-think-of-him/176030/1 "2003-05-18T07:03:24Z")
I think Bale is one to watch out for. When he gets the right movie he is gonna explode into superstardom. I have seen him in a few movies now and he is a great actor. I just saw him in Equilibrium tonight and enjoyed him again. What is the general feeling about this cat in the entertainment world? I woulda asked in the Equilibrium thread, but it has been dead for 3 days and would just sink into the SDMB abyss without an answer. ---
**Author:** ![Nvme77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Nvme77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nvme77)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-whaddya-think-of-him/176030/2 "2003-05-18T07:07:42Z")
I find him extremely attractive, however, there is someting lacking in his performances. I can’t put my finger on it but something about his acting is unremarkable, banal and shallow. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-whaddya-think-of-him/176030/3 "2003-05-18T07:50:12Z")
He’s sexy as hell and a fine actor as well. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-whaddya-think-of-him/176030/4 "2003-05-18T11:14:48Z")
Have liked him ever since I first saw him, in Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun. Don’t always care for his choice of films. Really enjoyed him in Little Women, Velvet Goldmine and the Last Metro. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-whaddya-think-of-him/176030/5 "2003-05-18T11:14:48Z")
Have liked him ever since I first saw him, in Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun. Don’t always care for his choice of films. Really enjoyed him in Little Women, Velvet Goldmine and the Last Metro. ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-whaddya-think-of-him/176030/6 "2003-05-18T11:17:43Z")
He’s my boyfriend. We’re going to get married and have 10,000 babies. I love him the most out of everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Spudo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Spudo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spudo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-whaddya-think-of-him/176030/7 "2003-05-18T11:20:55Z")
He’s a good actor, but for some reason I keep thinking he looks like a pervert. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-whaddya-think-of-him/176030/8 "2003-05-18T12:50:07Z")
Sexy, sexy, SEXY!!! And a damn fine actor too. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-whaddya-think-of-him/176030/9 "2003-05-18T14:52:06Z")
He was good in **Newsies** if I remember correctly. Not sure if he did his own singing though. That may be the only thing I’ve seen him in. I wouldn’t call him “one to watch out for” as he’s been making movies for some 15 years or so and has yet to make much of an impression. ---
**Author:** ![Potter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Potter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potter)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-whaddya-think-of-him/176030/10 "2003-05-18T15:40:31Z")
I think what I like best about his performances is that he brings no ‘personality’ to them. When most people go to see movie with a star-studded cast, they want those different ‘star qualities’ - Julia Roberts’ smile and big, goofy laugh, or Mel Gibson crinkling his eyes charmingly. Perhaps Kevin Spacey doing that intense, internal thing he does, Rupert Everett being slightly louche. Christian Bale doesn’t seem to do this, he inhabits a character completely until there is so very little of himself left. It feels odd to watch, as we’re so used to experiencing the ‘star’ as much as we do the character. I thought his performance in ‘American Psycho’ was spot-on, he captured that slight confusion and vulnerability that makes Bateman so worryingly sympathetic. That said, I think that’s what will prevent him becoming a superstar. There’s nothing very ‘Christian Bale’ to draw people to every one of his movies. Except, of course, the bod. Which is very nice but a hot bod isn’t exactly unheard of in hollywood actors. ---
**Author:** ![BuckleberryFerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-whaddya-think-of-him/176030/11 "2003-05-18T19:35:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voguevixen \* > \*\*He was good in **Newsies** if I remember correctly. Not sure if he did his own singing though. That may be the only thing I’ve seen him in. I wouldn’t call him “one to watch out for” as he’s been making movies for some 15 years or so and has yet to make much of an impression. \*\* Seconded. And I think that was his voice. God help us though, as that was his dancing, too. Rather liked him in American Psycho, too. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-whaddya-think-of-him/176030/12 "2003-05-18T19:52:14Z")
I, among others, nominated him in the “Who should be the next James Bond?” thread. ---
**Author:** ![RawkStah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@RawkStah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RawkStah)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-whaddya-think-of-him/176030/13 "2003-05-18T21:13:35Z")
I sort of see him as the B-league Tom Cruise. He’s handsome and talented, but if you’re not Brad Pitt, doing non-mainstream stuff (_American Psycho_, _Velvet Goldmine_) isn’t going to make you a household name.