The Real Reason Christian Bale Thanked Satan During His Golden Globes Speech
Thanking God during an awards show acceptance speech is fairly common. Thanking Satan? Not so much.
Christian Bale shocked fans and set Twitter abuzz when he chose to thank the Lord of the Underworld for his Golden Globes win. Bale made the surprising statement during his speech after winning Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for his portrayal of Dick Cheney in Vice.
What did Christian Bale say during his speech?
“Thank you to Satan for giving me inspiration for playing this role,” Bale said as he was accepting t he award. He made the joke that the director of the film, Adam McKay, chose Bale for the role because he looked so much like Cheney (really, he had to gain a lot of weight for the role and barely looked like himself). He also called the former vice-president, “a charisma-free asshole.”
Besides Satan, Bale also took a conventional route when he thanked his wife and daughter. He said his wife is the one “who told me less is more.”
“She knows the dumb crap that can come out of my mouth at times. I can sink and ruin a perfectly good movie and so-so career in one speech. So thank you for that advice, my love,” he said.
What did people have to say about Bale’s comments?
The Church of Satan – which does have a Twitter account, in case you were wondering – was pleased for the shoutout. In response, they tweeted: “To us, Satan is a symbol of pride, liberty and individualism, and it serves as an external metaphorical projection of our highest personal potential. As Mr. Bale’s own talent and skill won him the award, this is fitting. Hail Christian! Hail Satan!”
To us, Satan is a symbol of pride, liberty and individualism, and it serves as an external metaphorical projection of our highest personal potential. As Mr. Bale's own talent and skill won him the award, this is fitting. Hail Christian! Hail Satan! https://t.co/ILuK8TFZXi
— The Church Of Satan (@ChurchofSatan) January 7, 2019
But not everyone was happy to hear the reference. Dick Cheney’s daughter Liz Cheney had a response of her own when she brought up abuse allegations against Bale. “Satan probably inspired him to do this, too,” she wrote. The Republican congresswoman from Wyoming linked to an article that talked about Bale assaulting his sister an mother (the charges were later dismissed due to insufficient evidence).
Who is ‘Vice’ about?
The political satire Vice tells the tale of George W Bush’s running mate in the 2000 presidential election. The former CEO of Halliburton Co, Dick Cheney had ties to the White House prior to getting on the ticket. He had previously served as chief of staff, House Minority Whip, and Defense Secretary. But as Vice President, he played a huge part in changing the country’s political landscape in ways that are still noticeable today.
Critics felt strongly about the film, but not all agreed on whether it was fantastic or terrible. Some called it, “cleverly biting” while others declared the comedy-drama as “a clumsy display of political hatred.”
But despite the controversy, the film also took home the coveted Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy award in addition to Bale’s Best Actor win. Some people loved it… just probably not Dick Cheney.
