Highlights
- Christian Bale’s early role as a child star in Empire of the Sun led to bullying and financial pressure.
- After facing negativity, Bale went on to star in acclaimed films like American Psycho and Batman.
- Bale’s diverse roles and talent led to numerous awards, recognition, and success in Hollywood despite early challenges.
Christian Bale embarked on his acting journey at a tender age, and he gained widespread recognition with his breakthrough performance in the 1987 film Empire of the Sun, directed by Steven Spielberg. In the movie, he portrayed the central character, Jamie Graham, a young boy who experiences separation from his parents during World War II and finds himself in a Japanese internment camp.
Despite the film receiving critical acclaim and serving as a platform for showcasing Bale’s early talent, the success did not come without its challenges. The challenges of increasing attention and pressure due to his rising fame posed difficulties for the young actor. However, Christian Bale has successfully built a respected career, starring in many acclaimed films. Find out how his early role in Empire of the Sun made his life unbearable as well as how it shaped his career afterward.
Christian Bale’s Child Star Role In Empire Of The Sun Made His Life Unbearable
When Christian Bale was just 13, he played the main character, Jamie “Jim” Graham, in Empire of the Sun. His acting was different from other kids his age. He didn’t just look cute or charming; he felt real. His performance showed how good he was at acting, even though he was just a young boy.
According to Contact Music, after the release of Empire Of The Sun, YoungBale experienced bullying by his classmates. He became the target of jealousy and aggression. He revealed that the girls in school wanted to be close to him, but the boys only wanted to fight him.
His mother, Jenny, was aware of the situation in school and even mentioned that he had a tough time due to the bullying, which made him very sad and put him off the film and stardom. This experience impacted him so negatively for a time that he did not want to act again.
Christian Bale not only had to deal with the bullying at school, but he also felt the weight of financial pressure to support his family. In a 2011 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Bale opened up about how he believed he had to continue acting to provide for his family. He said:
You know, you can’t enjoy something when you’re actually—not being forced to do it, but you feel that duty and obligation that if you don’t a lot of people are going to suffer.
This feeling made him feel trapped. It was like he was in a “prison” of acting. He later said this experience killed his love for acting. He felt it was a duty, not something he enjoyed. Because of this, Christian Bale still has a love-hate relationship with acting.
Christian Bale’s Awards And Nominations As Per IMDb
- He has won a total of 82 awards
- He has been nominated for 132 awards
After Empire of the Sun, Christian Bale made a few more movies, but he didn’t get a lot of attention until Little Women in 1994. This role and his later ones in movies like American Psycho and Batman made him even more famous. But it all started with his role as Jamie in Empire of the Sun.
What Happened To Christian Bale After His Child Star Role In Empire Of The Sun?
After Empire of the Sun, Christian Bale chose to keep acting, even though being a child actor had its challenges. This decision led him to be part of many different movies, showing how good he was at acting.
According to Mental Floss, after Empire of the Sun, Bale made more films, like Henry V and Newsies, a Disney musical. He didn’t know it was a musical when he took the role, and the movie didn’t do well at first. But later on, people liked it more. His role in Little Women in 1994 got him more attention.
However, Bale’s career really took off when he played Patrick Bateman in American Psycho in 2000. This showed he could play complex characters. He kept taking on different roles, like the lead in The Machinist in 2004.
In 2005, Bale became Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. He played this role again in The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). People loved his portrayal of Batman, and these movies became super popular. Bale acted in various films outside of being Batman, like The Prestige (2006), where he played an enigmatic magician in a rivalry, and Terminator Salvation (2009), where he was the leader of humans in a world taken over by machines.
He also acted in Public Enemies (2009) as Melvin Purvis, an FBI agent tasked with taking down the notorious American gangster John Dillinger.
His role in Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) was one of Bale’s major roles. In this biblical epic, he portrayed Moses leading the Israelite slaves out of Egypt and clashing with his adopted brother, Ramses. In American Hustle (2013), Bale played Irving Rosenfeld, a brilliant con artist forced to work for an FBI agent to bring down corrupt politicians and mobsters in the 1970s. In The Big Short (2015), Bale featured as Michael Burry, a hedge fund manager who predicts the housing market crash and bets against the banks.
Christian Bale was transformed for his role in Vice (2018), exploring the political career of the former U.S. Vice President. In Ford v Ferrari (2019), he portrayed British race car driver Ken Miles in a story about Ford’s attempt to beat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Additionally, Bale played the villain Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), seeking revenge against the gods for his family’s death in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Christian Bale won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for playing Dicky Eklund in The Fighter (2010). He also received nominations for American Hustle (2013), The Big Short (2015), and Vice (2018) as Dick Cheney. In 2014, Forbes ranked Bale among the highest-paid actors with an estimated earning of $35 million.
Despite the tough challenges Christian Bale faced after his role in Empire of the Sun, he overcame these obstacles and continued to thrive in Hollywood.
Source: NewsFinale