... ~:: rVlOV; ,mS \~ s: o z ~ Christian Bale's NEAT The actor turned tough films into a career filled with 'Prestige,' 'Batman' CD o o '" cD Qj n E ~ o Z ~ co 3 (j) BY MICHAEL GILTZ This is how it works in the new Hollywood: Smart young actors like Tobey Maguire and Matt Damon make well-received blockbusters like "Spider-Man" and "The Bourne Identity," and that box-office suc cess powers their ability to make challenging mov- ies that solidify their status as serious guys (see Damon in "The De parted" and Maguire in the upcoming "The Good German").</p><p> Christian Bale is following this game plan -though he wasn't afraid to get se rious before he got a superhero .</p><p> One of the few stars to jump from child actor (in Steven Spielberg's 1987 wwn drama "Empire of the Sun") to adult roles, the Welsh actor strutted and scared in "Vel-vet Goldmine" (1998), "American Psycho" (2000), "Laurel Canyon" (2002) and "The Machinist" (2004).</p><p> But last year's hit "Bat man Begins" has taken him to a new lev el: "The Prestige," in which he and Hugh Jackman play dueling magicians, was tops at the box office when it opened a Bale, clockwise from above, as Bruce Wayne in "Batman Begins"; a WWII POW in "EmlJire of the_ Sun"; the titular j't\merican Psy~ clIO"; and all Iraq war vet in uHarsh Times" (with Freddy Ilouriguez) few weeks back.</p><p> This Friday, he returns to tough stuff with "Harsh Times," wnter-director David Ayer's action drama about an Iraqi war veteran who meets up with an old pal (Freddy Rodriguez) and pulls them both into shady deals, violence and despair.</p><p> For Bale, 32. the role is both another chance to show off his acting chops, and a return to risky business. " 'Harsh Times' was a perfect antidote to working on movies for seven months," says Bale, speaking of labor-intensive flicks like "Batman Begins," "The Prestige" and the 2005 epic "The New World." "Coming off of things like that. and then doing something like 'Harsh Times' in 24 days -and on top of it, doing it with some one like David Ayer, who [did] what everybody says you should never do, which is fund the movie, "The movie came out of his own pocket," Bale continues , "He had the opportunity to go through stu dios.</p><p> But he didn't like what they were telling him, the changes he'd have to make.</p><p> So he remortgaged his house and stuck the money up.</p><p> That's what I loved." Bale's take on "Batman," oddly, seems to fall into that category of doing what he loves, precisely be cause his approach was very un studio.</p><p> After almost a decade of edgy, indie or out-there roles, Bale and director Christopher Nolan both knew the actor had what it took to re-energize the franchise . "I didn't try to talk Chris No lan into giving me that role," Bale , says. "It was more like, 'Look, this is what I wantto do, what do you think of that? Is it going to fit with your rdea of the film?' ...</p><p> And so, I and now 'Harsh Times' was able to make a movie in that case that I really like. "So often with [bigger movies]. details go out the window, and that's disappoint· ing," Bale continues _ "Why, when it has a higher budget, do [moviemakers] have to eradicate what makes stories so interest ing? I love blowing stuff up as much as the next person, But after awhile, you just feel like you're watching somebody else playa video game." True to form, Bale hasn't followed his commercial breakthrough simply with more blockbusters While "The Prestige" had director Nolan, "X-Men's" Hugh Jack man and starlet Scarlett Johansson at tached, and he's about to go behind the fa mous mask again for the Bat -sequel "The Dark Knight" (co-starring Heath Ledger as the Joker), doing "Harsh Times" and direc tor Werner Herzog's upcoming war film "Rescue Dawn" are projects Bale says he's been eying for years. ' As Ayer, who earned his bones as the screenwriter of the Oscar-winning "Train ing Day," put it, "Christian actually picks roles.</p><p> He's not chasing business situatIOns -he's chasmg material," A few of the projects Bale will chase in,-, clud€ a remake of the 1957 Western "3:10 to Yuma," and the musical drama ''I'm Not There," which will co-star Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Michelle Williams and Juli anne Moore.</p><p> And while the latter film will utilize the music of Bob Dylan, and Bale . ~ ~ plays a follne who finds God, he asserts it's ii, not a biopic.</p><p> Nonetheless, it's the first time, ~ Bale will sing on -screen since the 1992. ,Y ,i: Drsney musical "Newsies," an early part ., he good-naturedly mocks before admitting' that he'll "try anything once" Which may explain his eagerness (0 work with the notoriously adventurous German director Herzog ("Fitzcarraldo," "Grizzly Man") The actor says "Rescue Dawn" was exactly the outrageous experi ence he was hoping for "That wasn '( a standard film shoot," laughs Bale 'We were ill a j lIngle in Thai land, and would find ourselves many mornmgs with half the movie's crew gone So everybody took on different .lobs to get by for a few days.</p><p> Hall the bloody crew walked out, and we .lust kept going' "But there were toenails beirrg e}"1:ract ed and people being washed down rapids half-drownmg , and at one point I had to pick up live snakes in the middle of a river "You know. it didn't disappoint" ¢>
