Christian Bale said Chris Rock was too funny to be friends with during 'Amsterdam' filming
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Christian Bale is in the movie business, not the funny business.
The actor, who stars in David O. Russell's star-studded new film Amsterdam, recalled meeting his costar Chris Rock on his first day on set and sparking up a fast friendship. One that, ultimately, Bale said needed to be put on pause during filming because Rock was simply too hilarious.
"I remember his first day, I was excited to meet him. I'm a big fan of his stand-up," Bale told IndieWire. "Then he arrives, and he's doing some things… David [O. Russell] told him to tell me some stories that I didn't know he was gonna tell me, which is the way David works often. And I was loving it."
Mike Marsland/WireImage; LISA O'CONNOR/AFP via Getty Images Christian Bale thought Chris Rock was too funny
The only problem? Like a pair of best pals sitting next to one another in class, Bale soon realized that he needed some distance from Rock in order to actually focus on the film at hand. "Chris is so bloody funny and I found that I couldn't act," he revealed. "Because I was just becoming Christian laughing at Chris Rock."
So, Bale staged a mini breakup so that he could fully dedicate his time to the role of Burt Berendsen. "I had to go to him. I went, 'Mate, I love talking to you, and we have mutual friends, but I can't do it anymore,'" he shared. "Because David didn't ask me to make this film so he could just watch me giggle. He wants me to be Burt, and I'm forgetting how to be Burt.'"
Merie Weismiller Wallace, SMPSP/20th Century Studios
Bale eventually found his footing as Burt in the upcoming comedy, which also stars Rock, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Rami Malek, Taylor Swift, Anya Taylor-Joy, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Zoe Saldana, Robert De Niro, and more.
He also revealed this isn't the first time he's had to set boundaries between him and his co-stars in order to bring a sense of authenticity to his performance. "I often meet these incredible people, but I isolate myself," he said. "Because if I get to know people too much, I find I just don't believe what I'm doing in the scene."
Amsterdam hits theaters Oct. 7.
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