Christian Bale Freaked out His Daughter When He Stayed in Character for ‘Public Enemies’
Christian Bale is known for completely immersing himself in his roles, even if that means transforming his body to do so. But there was one instance where his intense method acting confused even his family.
Christian Bale confused his daughter with his acting for ‘Public Enemies’
Public Enemies was a 2009 Michael Mann project that saw Bale portraying FBI agent Melvin Purvis, who was on the hunt for Johnny Depp’s John Dillinger. Bale put as much dedication and effort into his Public Enemies character as he usually does with most of his roles. In a resurfaced interview with Collider, the actor remembered the intense research and preparation he did to nail his character.
“There’s a wealth of information about Purvis; newspaper clippings, newsreel footage, books. A book written by Purvis himself. A book written by his son Alston [Purvis] which I kept with me all the time called The Vendetta which was really fascinating,” Bale said.
After the research Bale did for the figure his character is based on, Bale became more and more attached to the role.
“I recognize of course that it’s very much a supporting role in this movie, but I just couldn’t help but become really fascinated with the character and became very affectionate and fond of him,” Bale said.
Bale would adopt many of the real Purvis’ mannerisms and traits, including the agent’s Southern accent. According to Mann, Bale would speak like Purvis even when they weren’t filming. When his daughter was on set, however, the sudden change in Bale’s voice caught her by surprise.
“Melvin Purvis was really a southern gentleman,” Mann once said according to Contact Music. “So Christian kept the accent for 24 hours a day. It freaked out his young daughter. She said: ‘Daddy doesn’t talk like that!’ he replied: ‘Well, ah’m sorry, mah dear, but daddy’s studying for a part, and ah’ll be speaking like this for the next four months.’”
Christian Bale’s daughter wasn’t impressed with him singing Taylor Swift in ‘Amsterdam’
Years later, Bale’s daughter once gave him her honest reaction to his performance in the film Amsterdam. The David O. Russell project focused on three friends who become suspects in a murder. Amsterdam featured an ensemble cast that included John David Washington and Margot Robbie, with singer Taylor Swift making a surprise appearance.
Bale sung a musical number with the artist in the film, which he kept to himself for quite some time.
“It was a very funny scene, actually, because J.D. and myself had been practicing that song a little bit. David had us sing it all day long, but then there were moments where I would forget the lyrics,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “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!’”
The Oscar-winner would eventually let his daughter know about his duet with Swift. But his daughter was unimpressed by the news.
“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?’”
Is Christian Bale’s daughter an actor too?
Bale’s daughter Emmeline Bale mostly stays out of the spotlight. However, she has begun to follow in her father’s footsteps as an actor, recently appearing in his film Thor Love and Thunder. According to The List, Emmeline has also taken after her mother Sibi Blaznic, and is in the midst of establishing her own modeling career.
