Christian Bale was told to stop singing in Amsterdam because he was drowning out Taylor Swift

Christian Bale was told to stop singing in Amsterdam because he was drowning out Taylor Swift
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Christian Bale may have impressed his teen daughter by getting to sing with Taylor Swift in the new film Amsterdam, but his vocals left a little something to be desired.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar-winning actor recalled telling his daughter about harmonizing with one of the world's biggest pop stars. "That was a real nice surprise, and I actually didn't tell anybody about that until afterwards," he said. "I went to my daughter and said, 'You know who I sang with today? Taylor Swift.' And she was like, 'Wait, what? Why would you be doing that?'"

But Bale — who has previously showed off his singing chops in movies like Empire of the Sun and Newsies — also admitted that he was a little rusty.

Christian Bale and Taylor Swift in 'Amsterdam'
Christian Bale and Taylor Swift in 'Amsterdam'

20th Century Studios (2) Christian Bale and Taylor Swift in 'Amsterdam'

"It was a very funny scene, actually, because [John David Washington] and myself had been practicing that song a little bit," he said. Director David O. Russell "had us sing it all day long, but then there were moments where I would forget the lyrics. So I'd look at J.D., he'd look at me and then he'd forget, too. So I would have to mouth it to him. And then we were going flat. Our pitch was all over the place, but we were like, 'Yeah, but the feeling is right!'"

That's when Russell put his foot down: "All of a sudden, David just goes, 'How about Christian and J.D. just shut up for this one and let Taylor do it?' And it was like we had been drowning out an angel's voice all day long with our cacophony and our rough, terrible voices. So it's really something when you have someone with as beautiful a voice as hers, singing right next to you."

Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, Amsterdam stars Bale, Washington, and Margot Robbie as three friends who become embroiled in the murder of a U.S. senator. In addition to Swift, the ensemble cast also includes Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldana, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Rami Malek, and Robert De Niro.

Amsterdam hits theaters Oct. 7.

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