Christian Bale likes serious roles and flourishes wonderfully in the dramatic register, as his monumental filmography proves. But as a viewer, he seems to have very eclectic tastes. Ultimate proof, one of his favorite films is none other than a comedy, the exact opposite of the films in which he plays.
Christian Bale, his unique references
No need to introduce Christian Bale, one of the greatest actors of his generation through prominent roles in American Psychothe trilogy Batman by Christopher Nolan Vice or Le Mans 66, to quote only those. Known for his physical transformations, he is perceived as an actor whose seriousness does not leave much room for comedy, a register he has never explored so far. We are therefore often surprised when this one, which we will soon see in amsterdam by David O. Russell, talks about his personal tastes and shares a surprising cinephilia.
This is the case with the actor he considers his mentor and absolute inspiration: Rowan Atkinson. Christian Bale met the interpreter of the formidable Mr. Bean when he was only ten years old, a very young actor in the play The Nerd.
Regarding his tastes as a spectator, it was in 2016, during an interview for the promotion of Knight of Cups, his second collaboration with Terrence Malick, that he was asked the following terrible question. A question that everyone dreads, likely to lead to endless and paralyzing reflections: what is your favorite movie ?
“I laughed to tears both times”
Christian Bale, reluctant to do the interview but still excelling in this area, brought a completely new answer and which generates an immediate sympathy towards his person: The Beverly Hills Ninja.
It’s a tricky question… There are so many that correspond to different times. There’s a movie for every mood you can have. I say ! I always choose… My answer to this question, by default, is “The Ninja of Beverly Hills”. (…) That’s a good answer to give, because most people say, “What? Ah, okay.”
A very surprising choice, The Beverly Hills Ninja being a schoolboy comedy about a failed ninja, very corpulent, clumsy and good for nothing on almost all subjects, but still responsible for carrying out an investigation in Beverly Hills. Haru, the ninja in question, was played by Chris Farley, a comic actor who died of an overdose in 1997. Unknown in France, panned by North American critics upon release, The Beverly Hills Ninja gradually gained its status as Cult movie to fans of the genre.
Chris Farley was fantastic. Of course I have other movies as my favorites, but I watched this one two nights in a row and laughed my ass off both times. So I was like, “Yeah, I can give this one as my favorite movie.”
We can imagine that in the personal pantheon of Christian Bale, other films surpass The Beverly Hills Ninja. But no doubt wishing neither to pass for a snob nor to confer too serious a conversation, he thus got away with a sincere, humble and amusing reference. Simply class.
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Christian Bale’s favorite movie will amaze many!