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facing the camera
I Christian Casts His Net Wide Christian Casts His Net Wide
f the Internet is the ultimate democ- “I was told they were looking for two or “I thought the script was very strange racy,” a top American showbiz maga- three different actors to play Chris for each of when I first read it, but it grew on me. I can’t zine recently opined, “then Christian the periods, 1963, 1968 and 1977. So I intellectualize it. I just go with the feeling. But Bale has been elected its biggest assumed that they were interested in me for I do think this film is very relevant to a lot of star.” This extraordinary tribute was the central period in Paris when Chris is clos- things that are going on now,” he added. accorded the young Brit because sta- est to my own age. Then I spoke with the According to Thomas, whose film was invited tistics reveal that, somewhat surpris- director Philip Saville and that wasn’t how it to the “sidebar” Critics Week at this year’s
ingly, he earns more “hits” on the worldwide was; they were looking at me for all three peri- Cannes, “ the role was a big challenge for an web than any other actor. ods. That made it even more interesting.” actor. I looked at a lot for the part. Christian
His legion of surfing fans are known as Baleheads. Yet, despite this and also having three films in the pipeline awaiting imminent release, the name might not be instantly recalled by your average cinema-goer.
Pembrokeshire-born Bale, 24, made his acting debut aged 10 on the West End stage in The Nerd opposite Rowan Atkinson but it was four years after that he earned the following endorsement: “the best performance by a child actor I’ve ever seen.” The testimonial was pro- ferred by author and film buff JG Ballard. Since he was referring to Steven Spielberg’s glorious version of his wartime novel Empire Of The Sun, it could be argued
that he was possibly biased about
Bale’s astonishing stint as young
Jim (a thinly-disguised JG).
But by any yardstick it was a remarkable piece of work. However, despite almost universal praise, acting in further films like Henry V and Treasure Island remained just a holiday
job for Bale while his schooling continued. Now, though, his career
is in full flood with mature roles in films such
as Little Women, The Portrait Of A Lady and The Secret Agent.
But if Bale still seems comparatively anonymous then
that’s very unlikely to stay the
case by the end of this, his busiest
ever, year. Opening in August there’s Metroland, in which he plays Chris opposite Emily Watson, Lee Ross and Elsa Zylberstein in an adaptation of Julian Barnes’s popular 1980 novel about grow- ing up, sex and suburbia.
Recalls Bale: “I first heard about the film one month before shooting started when I was sent the script which I thought was fantastic.
In writer-director Todd Haynes’s Velvet Goldmine, opening here in September, Bale plays a British journalist investigating a glam- rock phenomenon (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) who took the UK and USA by storm in the early 70s. Ewan McGregor, Eddie Izzard, Emily Woof and Toni Collette are also in the cast.
Then, there is Bale as brain-damaged Bobby in All The Little Animals, Oscar-win- ning producer Jeremy Thomas’s first film as a director. He approached the curious rural tale - described by Thomas as a “fusion of the tra- ditional thriller and classic morality play” -
with some caution.
was the first one I thought of, and he was the one I came back to.”
As if this wasn’t enough activity, Bale has also just finished playing Demetrius in Michael Hoffman’s new all-star, multi-nation- ality version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream alongside Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Sophie Marceau, Stanley Tucci and the ubiquitous Calista Flockhart.
Therehasalsobeeninordinatepublicity - and this may account for at least some of the Internet rampage - about another on-off role for Bale in a screen adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ shock novel, American Psycho. He was apparently first choice of co-writer/director Mary Harron to play monstrous Patrick Bateman, a successful New York yuppie bro- ker who moonlights mutilating women.
Then suddenly, in the wake of Titanic, it seemed that Bale had been passed over in favour of Leonardo DiCaprio. Rumours also abound that Oliver Stone has succeeded Harron in the director’s chair. Now, not even DiCaprio appears to have properly committed to the $40m project.
According to some reports, Bale is not convinced that the project is at an end for him: “Obviously I’m upset about it. But it’s not all finished. It’s not all absolutely over,” he says. So perhaps a Bale-style Psycho for the Millennium may be on the cards after all.
Keep watching the Net. ■ QUENTIN FALK
AlltheLittleAnimalswas photographed by Mike Molloy BSC and originatedonFujicolorMotion Picture Negative.
Photos main: Christian Bale in All The Little Animals inset above; Metroland; and inset right; Velvet Goldmine.