A-Line: Celebrity StyleChristian Bale: ‘It’s Embarrassing to Be a Star’
Christian Bale revealed his prima donna side with his rant on the "Terminator Salvation" set that leaked last year, but Hollywood appears to have forgiven him. The actor will return to theaters in December with the Mark Wahlberg drama "The Fighter." Meanwhile, he's doing nothing to dispel the notion he's difficult to work with in a new Esquire profile. The latest star of the "Batman" franchise demanded his interview be Q&A format and made it clear personal questions were a no-go. In fact, the 36-year-old admits, "I want to be able to just act and never do any interview, but I don't have the balls to stand up to the studio."
Writer John H. Richardson spends his time with the British-born hottie trying to uncover clues about the real Christian Bale ... to mixed results. He does eventually get Bale to confess how he really feels about playing the crime-fighting, winged creature in one of film's most coveted roles ("Dementia would have to set in to a severe degree for me to be happy with that," he says) and about celebrity that began with films like "Newsies" in his teen years. "Well, it's embarrassing to be a star. Most people look at you like, 'That's not a ----ing job, is it?' And then on top of that, you learn very quickly that you're just a tool -- other people are manipulating everything you do, you're at the mercy of editors, and there's nothing you can do. But I learned that there's a certain character that can be built from embarrassing yourself endlessly. If you can sit happy with embarrassment, there's not much else that can really get to ya."
Will Christian Bale Be the Next James Bond?
10 Worst-Dressed Celeb Guys of 2010
Oddly enough, the other revelation in the profile comes when Bale comments that he truly admired the late Chris Farley. Yep, the former "Saturday Night Live" cast member. Turns out, he's a huge fan of "Beverly Hills Ninja." Weird. "One time I sat down and watched it two nights in a row, and cried with laughter both times," he claims. "The guy just was a phenomenon, and is missed dearly in my household."
Christian also lightens up -- well, sort of -- while raving about his daughter, 5-year-old Emmeline. "Look, I've got incredible pride for my family," he explains. "I've absolutely fallen into that cliche of a dad who could just happily talk about my daughter endlessly. But it's not what I'm about in terms of being an actor. I don't want people to know about that." One tidbit he does drop is that Emmeline, whose mom is Christian's wife of 10 years, Sibi Blazic, has altered his tastes. "I love anything that she likes," he notes. "If she's getting a kick out of it, I love it."
Funny Jokes from Beautiful Actresses
Read more about Christian in the December issue of Esquire.
