Christian Bale Acted as 'Mediator' in Conflicts Between Amy Adams and 'American Hustle' Director

Tommaso Boddi/Getty; Steve Granitz/WireImage; Gregg DeGuire/WireImage Christian Bale, Amy Adams, David O. Russell

Christian Bale intervened during on-set disputes between director David O. Russell and costar Amy Adams while making 2013's American Hustle.

In a GQ cover story, Bale, 48, talks about collaborating again with Russell on the new film Amsterdam. At one point in the interview, the Oscar winner confirms that he stepped in as "mediator" when Russell, 64, and Adams, 48, had disagreements on set of the Oscar-nominated film.

"I did what I felt was appropriate, in very Irv style," he said, referencing his character in American Hustle, which also starred frequent Russell collaborators Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper.

Bale explained, "If I can have some sense of understanding of where it's coming from, then I do tend to attempt to be a mediator. That's just in my nature, to try to say, 'Hey, come on, let's go and sit down and figure that out. There's gotta be a way of making this all work.' "

"You're dealing with two such incredible talents there," he added. "... Look, if I feel like we got anywhere close — and you only ever get somewhere close to achieving; our imagination is too incredible to ever entirely achieve it — but if you get anywhere close to it, and when you're working with people of the crazy creative talent of Amy or of David, there are gonna be upsets. But they are f---ing phenomenal. Also, you got to remember, it was the nature of the characters as well. Right? Those characters were not people who back down from anything, right?"

When the GQ interviewer asked, "Should my knowledge that Amy had a tough time with the director while making this affect my enjoyment of" American Hustle, Bale claimed that Adams would reply no.

"No. And, by the way, that's not me deciding for her, she's told me that," he said.

RELATED: Margot Robbie Explains Why a Police Officer Was the One to Call 'Wrap' on the Set of Amsterdam

Atlas Entertainment/Kobal/Shutterstock Amy Adams and Christian Bale in American Hustle (2013)

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Adams, who had previously worked with Russell and Bale on the 2010 film The Fighter, opened up about the making of American Hustle, telling British GQ back in 2016 that she would often end up crying on set.

"I was really just devastated on set. I mean, not every day, but most," she said at the time. "Jennifer [Lawrence] doesn't take any of it on. She's Teflon. And I am not Teflon. But I also don't like to see other people treated badly. It's not okay with me. Life to me is more important than movies. It really taught me how to separate work and home. Because I was like, 'I cannot bring this experience home with me to my daughter.' "

A rep for Russell did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Russell — who's also directed movies like Joy, Silver Linings Playbook and Flirting with Disaster — has had previous documented on-set incidents with his cast and crew.

A video circulated of him yelling at Lily Tomlin while making the 2004 film I Heart Huckabees (she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015 that they'd since "overcome it" and it "wasn't any big deal"). George Clooney claimed to Playboy back in 2000 that Russell "yelled and screamed at people all day, from day one" on the Three Kings set. Clooney told THR in 2012 that they'd moved on from their beef, admitting they "had a really rough time together" but "I really do appreciate the work he continues to do, and I think he appreciates what I'm trying to do."

Amsterdam is in theaters Friday.