Christian Bale is filming a new biopic, and fans would be forgiven for not recognising him in his latest role. The Hollywood star, 51, has undergone a dramatic transformation for the David O Russell film, Madden. Known for his iconic performances in The Dark Knight and American Psycho, Christian will play the role of Al Davis, the NFL team owner of the LA Raiders. He will be starring alongside Nicolas Cage and Sienna Miller, who will play John Madden and his wife. New images from the film set in Atlanta have shown how different Christian looks in his transformation. The Oscar-winning actor boasted a leather jacket and slicked-back hair, combined with a ruddy complexion that was worlds away from his normal appearance.
Nicholas Cage also looked wildly different, with dramatically new copper hair. This isn’t the first time that Bale has undergone a sudden transformation for a film role, as he previously lost 62lbs for his performance in The Machinist.
For his role as Dick Cheney in the film Vice, Christian gained 40lbs. He then lost most of his weight for his role in Ford v Ferrari and has fluctuated in weight for every film role he’s appeared in.
Last December, it was reported that Elvis actor Austin Butler would play Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, a role previously held by Bale in the 2000 film adaptation.
The new film won’t be a direct remake of the 2000 movie, with Guadagnino’s version poised to be a new take on the story with a more significant erotic emphasis than the original picture.
American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman, a wealthy New York investment banker who hides his psychopathic nature behind a mask of charm and success while indulging in violent murders and sadistic fantasies.
The 2000 flick, which also starred Jared Leto, Willem Dafoe, Chloe Sevigny, and Reese Witherspoon, received mostly positive reviews when it was released, and grossed over $34million globally against a production budget of $7million.
While Bale was praised for his haunting performance as Patrick Bateman, his co-star Chloe Sevigny, who portrayed Jean in the movie, admitted she found his method acting “very intimidating”.
She told Vanity Fair, “I was trying to respect his process, which I found challenging because I’m very gregarious and silly and goofy, unbeknownst to the general public.
“When people take themselves so seriously, I kind of shut down, even though I take my work very seriously and I love acting and whatnot.”