Movie stars all wants nothing more than to land a role that can change their fortune in a hurry, and roles in highly-coveted projects become incredibly competitive. Sometimes, actors are passed over for roles, they sometimes turn them down for scheduling conflicts, and sometimes, they are replaced by the studio. Regardless of how it goes down, snagging a major role is a big deal.
Christian Bale's time in American Psycho is one of his best yet, and he nearly lost the role at one point. Eventually, he kept the job and gave a brilliant performance. While filming, Bale added some improvising to the film, and director Mary Harron liked it so much that she kept it in the movie.
So, what scene in American Psycho had some improvising in it? Let's take a look and see.
Christian Bale Is A Gifted Film Star
Since making his debut back in the 1980s, Christian Bale has been turning heads and letting the world know that he is one of the most talented actors around. Even as a child performer, Bale proved that he had the chops to succeed, so it shouldn't be surprising to see where he is today.
Empire of the Sun was a huge win for the young Bale, and it showed audiences the amount of potential that he had as an actor. As time went on, Bale would get the chance to shine in hits like Little Women, Shaft, Howl's Moving Castle, the Dark Knight trilogy, and a whole lot more.
Thanks to his amazing performances, Bale has taken home some of the most prestigious awards in acting. He has a total of 4 Academy Award nominations, and he took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor years back for his amazing performance in The Fighter.
Bale has had a remarkable career, and one of his best performances on the big screen came all the way back in 2000.
'American Psycho' Is One Of His Best Performances
Released back in 2000, American Psycho was a film that helped put Christian Bale on the map with mainstream audiences. Yes, he had successful projects before this one, but his time as Patrick Bateman really opened people's eyes to what he could do while the cameras were rolling.
The film, which had a modest budget of around $3 million, was able to generate nearly $35 million at the box office, making it a financial success. No, it was not a blockbuster smash, but its success helped it thrive when it was subsequently released on video, and through the years, the movie has maintained a huge following.
To date, this remains one of Bale's best and most iconic performances, and he drew inspiration from none other than Tom Cruise.
"I mean, look, if someone had landed at that time and he was looking around for cultural alpha males, business-world alpha males, et cetera, then Tom Cruise certainly would have been one of those that he would have looked at and aspired to be and attempted to emulate," Bale told GQ.
While tapping into Tom Cruise for the performance, Christian Bale largely stuck to the script. However, he added some improvising that was good enough to make it into the final cut of the film.
The Scene He Improvised
So, which scene in the movie did Christian Bale sprinkle some improv into? Turns out, it was the scene where he gears up to take out Jared Leto's Paul Allen. More impressively, Bale added some flair to other scenes, as well.
According to WhatCulture, "You've likely already heard of Bale surprising director Mary Harron with his unanticipated dance moves in the lead up to killing Paul Allen. But the star also went with his gut on two other occasions. During that same scene, Bale's moonwalk en-route to hiding his weapon of choice, an axe, was a spur of the moment choice. And in the midst of one of his habitual training routines, nobody on-set knew Bale would begin performing jump rope tricks like a school girl in a playground."
It is fascinating to hear that these two elements weren't in the script and weren't rehearsed. Bale just knew the character so well that he was able to add these little flairs that seamlessly fit into each scene. Clearly, Mary Harron was on board with Bale's improv skills, as they made it into the final cut of the film.
American Psycho is still one of Christian Bale's best movies, and it's amazing to think that he improvised parts these memorable scenes.