Classy guy is right.
This x 1000. It was a classy act by Mr. Bale done on his own time. He showed a great deal of sympathy for the victims and only wanted to make some of them feel better for awhile. It’s too bad that some Dopers feel the urge to drop a turd in the punchbowl.
I have been injured and in pain in the hospital and had local celebrities doing charity PR stop by my bed to say hello (not because I was anyone special, but because I was on the route they were handing out merchandise and getting their pictures taken). It can be a nice gesture. It can be a fun and a momentary relief from pain to look at the face of the local star athelete and either call him by the name of his bitterest rival or ask who are you. But that’s just me. I imagine if Mr. Bale was halfway sympathetic anyone he visited appreciated the gesture as an attempt to do something positive in a rotten situation.
Fortunately, this tragedy still isn’t about you. Keep trying though.
I think it was a nice thing for Bale to do. And it’s shame that local other celebrity Farmer Jane did not go visit those poor people. Shame on her. I will not be seeing any more of her movies from now on.
Please hold back on personal commentary in this forum.
I’ve been pondering this today, and I have a question for those who thought Bale is doing the wrong thing.
Imagine YOU’re the star of The Dark Knight Rises, and this horrible thing happens. I’d honestly, without snark, like to hear how you’d react, and why you feel like it’s a better reaction than Bale’s. (where “better” means whatever you’d like it to. More humanitarian, less douch-ey, better for your career/image/self-respect, whatever)
Does this mean rich and famous people can’t do anything out of the kindness of their heart? Or only when you decide they’re sincere?
If in some alternate nightmare reality I ever became famous, I’d be putting a lot of effort into making those means count for something.
Not only did he see the sick, but he apparently stopped by a memorial and stood in prayer with others.
Thread-winningest not-trying-to-be-funny post ever. Take a bow, madam.
Holy shit, Christian Bale might be an actual human being and might actually have been profoundly struck emotionally with what happened in Colorado that he was genuinely moved to go and visit the victims and their families. But this goes against that one rant I heard on Youatube a year ago berating the the DP, destroying my world view!
He might be a petty dick sometimes, or actually a pretty good guy overall, but cut the cynicism here. Will he get some good PR out of this, sure; he’s a huge celebrity, no matter what he does you can think he’s doing it for selfish reasons.
More important is what it meant to those he visited with, after all. Y’know, the fans who went to see a midnight screening of the movie he starred in, that got gassed bombed and slaughtered. Famous actor or not, who wouldn’t want to meet those unfortunate victims, their families and express condolences or even share candid thoughts and emotions as they were all directly affected.
Ah, You-aTube. Italy’s most popular site for user-generated video content.
So I guess this means Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are on the side of the murderer. (Surprises me from Hathaway; I’d have thought somebody chosen to play Fantine would have more compassion than that.)
Okay this isn’t the Pit so language will be tamed down. I’ve spent 30-odd years working around people like Mr. Bale. Some are sinners, some are saints. Some are artists, some are poseurs. Some sit and share their dessert with you at lunch, some have armed guards outside their trailers.
My take- my personal take- is that anyone creative is not responsible in ANY WAY for the reaction of others to their art. ( please, let’s not argue about whether or not Batman is art. I’m taking anyone in the creative realm ok?? ). Stanley Kubrick was sufficiently horrified by real live violence inspired by his film that he had it banned in the U.K.. A rare moment to be sure.
This may prove to be an analogous situation. Fair to say that Kubrick was the author of his works to a higher degree than Mr. Bale. Also fair to say that Anthony Burgess penned " A Clockwork Orange" partially in response to a savage attack that he and his wife suffered, and which is (sadly) faithfully recreated in his novel. The novel was then filmed by Kubrick.
Mr. Bale is neither the author of the Batman legend or of the Dark Knight portion of the legend. He’s a hired hand. If he feels a certain responsibility because he’s wearing the cowl these days, I can respect that. His infamous rant directed at Director of Photography Shane Hurlbut was a bad day at work, or perhaps representative of his real personality.
Whether he’s an asshole or a dream colleague on set is irrelevant. He went without the publicity machine in tow to pay respects and lend support. People went to see HIM 80 feet wide that night, and he owns that a bit.
Though I don’t think he’s responsible one iota, I see this as a polite and classy move by anyone. It doesn’t make him a saint. It makes him both human and humane.
By comparison, actor Steve Buscemi returned to his former Firehouse, FDNY Engine Co. 55, on 9/11 and worked the pile at Ground Zero for many hours. Zero publicity. Those were his brothers. An extreme case here, but it’s the lack of publicity that makes me draw a slanted analogy.
ETA: HenryGale, I like to think I’d go and see them.
Cartooniverse
I don’t see why the fact that Bale decided he wanted to do something, and the rest of the cast didn’t, has to mean that either he’s right and they’re wrong, or vice versa. This isn’t a multiple-choice test.
whoosh He’s poking fun at all the people imbuing the visit with deep meaning. He doesn’t really think Michael Caine, et al., are in favor of mass murders.
Ey’a, itzza alright!
I get that, you don’t have to pass your user name along to me. 
But Sampiro’s sarcasm seemed to say that if Bale is right for visiting the hospital, then the rest of the cast must be wrong for abstaining.
My point is, I don’t see the point in bringing the rest of the cast into it at all. The fact that he and the rest of the cast made different decisions doesn’t have to mean that anybody made a wrong decision.
Heath Ledger couldn’t make it due to extenuating circumstances.
Pedants gotta pedant.