“For me any moment in front of a crowd is embarrassing, because I can't stand being in front of people. I'm probably one of the worst public speakers. I try to avoid it, but there are times when it's just too rude not to do it. But there really isn't a moment that's not embarrassing for me if I'm going to stand up in front of a crowd.” PeopleIfsTryingI CanMomentsWorstFrontsCrowdsSpeakersRudeEmbarrassingBecause I Can Author:Christian Bale
“I want to do good work. I want the opportunity to work with good people, and the only way I'm gonna do that is to commit 110% - you get out what you put in.” PeopleWayWantOpportunityCommitGood PeopleGood Work Author:Christian Bale
“If something's true and sincere, it happens regardless of marketing. The more I talk about it, the more I'm telling people how they should react. And that is an asshole.” PeopleIfsShouldHappensMarketingSincere Author:Christian Bale
“I have a very sissy job, where I go to work and get my hair done, and people do my makeup, and I go and say lines and people spoil me rotten. And everyone has that kind of curiosity of how far can you go, how far can you take it. I think it's always good testing yourself.” PeopleThinkingKindDoneJobsLinesHairCuriosityMakeupTestingSpoilRottenSissyTesting Yourself Author:Christian Bale
“Art is something to be proud of. Art is no compromise. As an actor, you're giving it up, you're at the mercy of so many other people.” PeopleGivingArtActorsProudArt IsMercyCompromiseBe ProudNo Compromise Author:Christian Bale
“I quite like it when you're working with people and you only get to know them through the scenes that you're doing together.” PeopleKnowsTogetherScene Author:Christian Bale
“I never try to guess what anyone else will take from a movie. Every movie is such a different experience for each and every person. I don't like it when people try telling people what they should take from a movie. You should go see it with fresh eyes and see for themselves.” PeopleShouldTryingPersonsDifferentEyeDifferent Experiences Author:Christian Bale
“I'm sure you find it fascinating. It's always interesting for everybody to look at people who've been pushed to the brink. You wonder how you would fare with that. Nobody's interested in somebody who doesn't ever really do anything. I don't have a choice in that. I will always go for those kinds of characters. Each one is a separate choice for me, but I think it's fairly natural to find yourself gravitating towards people who have done extraordinary things.” PeopleThinkingLooksKindDoneCharacterChoicesNaturalInterestingWonderExtraordinaryFascinatingFinding YourselfExtraordinary Things Author:Christian Bale
“I ain't the first on the list that people are sending scripts to. I'm very lucky. I've managed to put myself in the position with some directors, who will be calling me directly, and we're working on things and talking about things, but that's on a purely creative level.” PeopleFirstsLevelsTalkingCreativePositionCallingLuckyDirectorsScriptsLists Author:Christian Bale
“I always leave disaster for other people to decide, because some of the things I consider to be disasters are some people's favorite movies. And that's what I like so much, is that you never know. Something intrigues somebody and means nothing to somebody else.” PeopleMeanDisaster Author:Christian Bale
“I don't like filmmakers to tell people how they should react to their movies. I absolutely have favorites, and I have others that I'm mortified by, but I keep that to myself. I think I've managed to find some very interesting things that I've been very satisfied with recently. I don't know if that's gonna keep going.” PeopleThinkingInterestingFilmmakerKeep GoingVery Interesting Author:Christian Bale
“People always say, "What do you want to do next, what kind of movie do you want to do next?" And I say, "I wanna do whatever script that is the best one that comes my way." I certainly would never say, "Oh, I'm gonna do a Western next," and sit around waitin' for a Western to come along when there's some other genre's brilliant script sitting right there.” PeopleKindWesternBrilliantMy Way Author:Christian Bale
“I ain't the first on the list that people are sending scripts to. I'm very lucky. I've managed to put myself in the position with some directors, yes, who will be calling me directly, and we're working on things and talking about things, but that's on a purely creative level. And then you go and have to deal with the financial level.” PeopleCreativeLuckyFinancial Author:Christian Bale
“Suddenly people were saying I was cocky because I'd done a Steven Spielberg movie and thought I was better than everyone else, which surprised me at first. I suddenly started feeling like a freak because everyone was treating me differently. It was confusing, and I did wonder if acting was for me anymore.” PeopleDoneFeelingsActingWonderFreakConfusingCocky Author:Christian Bale
“I do like taking stuff seriously that a lot of people look at as nonsense. I enjoy the insanity of that. And I like the commitment that is needed for that.” PeopleLooksStuffEnjoyNeededCommitmentInsanityNonsense Author:Christian Bale
“I have this theory that, depending on your attitude, your life doesn't have to become this ridiculous charade that it seems so many people end up living.” PeopleEndsSeemsAttitudeTheoryRidiculousPositive AttitudeCharades Author:Christian Bale
“A teenager usually wants to try to get people to notice him in some way, to feel like someone gives a damn. Me, all that attention, I just wanted to fade into the background. Be invisible. Disappear.” PeopleWayWantGivingFeelsTryingWantedAttentionDisappearInvisibleBackgroundsTeenagerDamnFades Author:Christian Bale
“It's got to do with putting yourself in other people's shoes and seeing how far you can come to truly understand them. I like the empathy that comes from acting.” PeopleActingSeeingEmpathyShoes Author:Christian Bale
“A movie star is someone people look at and go, 'I want to be like that person'. There's the responsibility of desire. It's not something I'm interested in trying. I would fail miserably at it, so why even bother?” PeopleWantTryingLooksPersonsDesireActorsStarsResponsibilityFailingBotherMovieMovie Star Author:Christian Bale
“I always figure hey, look, I'm not a rock star, I'm an actor. I'm somebody who's meant to be other people and I'm not meant to be here representing myself. I'm happier when I'm presenting myself as other characters.” PeopleLooksCharacterActorsStarsRocksFiguresHeyMeant To BeRock StarRepresentingPresenting Author:Christian Bale
“I always leave that for other people to decide, because some of the things I consider to be disasters are some people's favorite movies. And that's what I like so much, is that you never know. Something intrigues somebody and means nothing to somebody else.” PeopleKnowsMeanDisasterIntrigue Author:Christian Bale
“I tend to stay in character between scenes... to be rather serious on set, but here's why, and I think people will find it surprising. I'm one of the worst 'corpses' on a movie set, which means you can't keep a straight face. You start to get the giggles and you can't stop.” PeopleThinkingMeanCharacterFacesWorstSeriousSceneSurprisingCorpsesGiggleMovie SetsStraight Face Author:Christian Bale
“I'd love to remain a secret and still work, but I also want people to see the movies I'm in and get a higher profile because of that. I like to think that as long as you continue choosing diverse roles, you can avoid becoming predictable.” PeopleThinkingWantLongStillsSecretRolesBecomingHigherDiversePredictableProfile Author:Christian Bale
“I'll find myself having dinner with people and someone will mention something and I will say I was in that situation once. Then I'll say, forget it, it was a scene I was in. That can get to be quite confusing.” PeopleForgetSituationSceneDinnerConfusingForget It Author:Christian Bale
“If I'm not working, I really have nothing to do with it - I'm not hanging out and mixing with film people. Not that I have anything against film people; they're some of the best people around and some of the worst people around, just like in any business... they just gesticulate a little bit more.” PeopleIfsLittlesFilmBitsWorstLittle BitHanging OutMixing Author:Christian Bale
“There are movies that require fantasy and slightly more fantastical acting. Lines that are good for certain movies, in real life circumstances, would be absolutely unbelievable things to really say, and you would look at these people like they're freaks for conversing that way. But somehow for certain styles of movies, it works, and it seems fine.” PeopleWayLooksRealSeemsWould BeCertainLinesActingFantasyStyleFineCircumstancesReal LifeFreakUnbelievableUnbelievable Things Author:Christian Bale
“When it comes to films, people often don't differentiate between the message of a bad central character and the message of the film itself. They are two separate things.” PeopleTwoCharacterFilmActingMessagesSeparationDifferentiate Author:Christian Bale
“Obviously there are times with acting when exactly what is required is just going through the motions, and when doing nothing is the best thing. But at other times, you have to make that leap beyond the immediate environment of people putting up lights on the set.” PeopleLightActingEnvironmentBest ThingsLeapDoing Nothing Author:Christian Bale
“I always want to confuse people in terms of any kind of image and be unpredictable in any kind of movie I make.” PeopleWantKindTermUnpredictable Author:Christian Bale
“I don't want to know about the lives of other actors and I don't want people to know too much about me. If we don't know about the private lives of other actors, that leaves us as clean slates when it comes to playing characters. That's the point, they can create these other characters and I can believe them. I think if you're a good enough actor, that's the way to longevity in the film business. Keep everybody guessing.” PeopleIfsThinkingKnowsWayWantBelieveI CanEnoughCharacterFilmActorsToo MuchCleanGood EnoughLongevityPrivate LifeLives Of OthersGuessingSlateClean Slate Author:Christian Bale
“You say something bad about Newsies and you have an awful lot of people to answer to.” PeopleAnswersAwful Author:Christian Bale
“You'll hunt me. You'll condemn me. Set the dogs on me. Because that's what needs to happen. Because sometimes truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.” PeopleNeedsSometimesEnoughHappensDarkDogTruth IsDeserveGood EnoughHuntsDark NightBatman MovieDeserve MoreBatman Dark Knight Author:Christian Bale
“People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy and I can't do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man I'm flesh and blood, I can be ignored, I can be destroyed, but as a symbol, as a symbol I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting.” PeopleMenNeedsI CanBloodExampleFleshDestroyedSymbolsDramaticShakesApathyIgnoredEverlastingWayneFlesh And BloodDark NightTrilogiesBatman MovieBruce WayneBatman Dark Knight Author:Christian Bale
“Sometimes the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people have got to have their faith rewarded.” PeopleSometimesEnoughRealityTruthDarkTruth IsGood EnoughSuperheroDark NightBatman Dark Knight Author:Christian Bale
“I never want to turn something down because I'm afraid to do it, because of some idea of image or whatever. That was never anything I set out to do. In fact, the opposite, I always want to confuse people in terms of any kind of image and be unpredictable in any kind of movie I make.” PeopleWantKindIdeasFactsTurnsTermOppositesUnpredictable Author:Christian Bale
“My hope is that people will be repulsed by the character's complete lack of ethics and obsession with consumerism - that's what I was saying about the difference between the character's message and the film's message.” PeopleCharacterFilmDifferencesMessagesEthicsObsessionConsumerism Author:Christian Bale
“There are occasions when I've pretended to be in a firefight, and then there are people who have really been in a firefight. Clearly it's absolutely ridiculous, and even disrespectful, to suggest that I understand what that is.” PeopleRidiculousOccasionsDisrespectful Author:Christian Bale
