We’re a funny society. We are very quick to ignore, overlook and forgive massive wrongs committed by certain people if they are one of our favorite celebrities. I mean, if that guy can play guitar really well, then I’m sure he had a good reason for doing all that cocaine and beating up his girlfriend.
If that legendary baseball player hit so many home runs, there’s no need to talk about the fact that he was a womanizing, abusive drunk.
If that TV star has a hit show and is really cool, then we can just overlook that he got behind the wheel of a car after drinking and killed two kids.
And hell… if Batman becomes a self absorbed, narcissistic, primadonna little whining bitch… then it’s all cool because he’s a great actor… weather he actually assaulted his mother and sister or not.
Yes, since we all loved Batman so much, most people quickly jumped to Christain Bale’s defense when reports came out that his own mother and sister called the cops on him. People were so desperate to defend their hero, that they pointed the finger at the alleged victims. Forums were filled with people saying (before knowing any facts) that the mom and sister were just trying to get Bale’s money (It should be noted here that formal charges were never laid and the incident was dismissed.
Make no mistake about it… people only jumped to Bale’s defense because he’s Batman. Period.
Don’t believe it? Imagine if you will that the EXACT SAME INCIDENT occurred, but it was Uwe Boll instead of Christian Bale. You think people would have jumped to his defense if his own mother and sister called the cops on him for assault? No, they wouldn’t. They would have crucified Boll (again, probably before any of the official facts were known). I defy anyone to argue this point.
Again, Bale may have been totally innocent or totally guilty in the incident with his mother and sister. Neither is really the point. The point is that we as a society jumped to excuse or defend Christian Bale for no other reason than we like him in the movies… and we would have burned Boll at the stake for the same thing because he’s not so good.
Then last month came the infamous Christian Bale freak out on set of Terminator Salvation. We’ve all seen and heard it, so there’s no reason to play it again. Bale berated, embarrassed, humiliated and abused another person for over 5 minutes in a profanity laced outburst, name calling and even threatening with violence. And what was this other “lesser person’s” great sin? He walked behind the camera for a moment.
I’m sorry, I’ve been on lots of movie sets… and sometimes people do quietly move behind the camera while a scene is being filmed. It happens. It’s not a big deal. Well… it’s not a big deal unless you’re a self-perceived god-man who really believes all his own press and hype, and who just maybe actually thinks he might be Batman.
But once again, people rushed to Bale’s defense. “Everyone loses their temper once in a while” some will say. “Maybe he was just having a bad day”.
Shortly afterward, Christian Bale came out and apologized for the incident. But that was MONTHS after it actually happened and only after it was released publicly. And it should be noted that he has apparently never actually apologized to Shane Hurlbut, the target of his outburst.
Now, once again… had this been Uwe Boll, people would have been quick to point back the the alleged incident with his mother and sister as maybe detecting a pattern of behavior. But this wasn’t Uwe Boll… this was Batman… and we love batman… so we ignore it and VERY QUICKLY let it go… sweep it under the proverbial rug. I never read ANYONE bringing up the previous incident. Not once. I’m sure someone out there did… but not enough that I saw it.
Look, I’ve gone on record before that I don’t think we should allow the personal character of an actor detract from our enjoyment of their acting. Hell, I always say that Russell Crowe is hands down the best actor on the planet right now… but he’s still a jerk.
Christian Bale is not just a GOOD actor… he’s an AMAZING actor. His talent is indisputable, and not just because of Batman… he’s brilliant in just about everything he’s ever in. But this pattern I see, a pattern of self-importance, really turns me off as a fan. And it’s not just the mom or rant incidents. You can see it in his interviews too.
For me as a FAN, I’m having a hard time now looking forward to Terminator Salvation… just when I was finally starting to get excited about it. When I see Bale in the trailers now, all I see is that jackass who decided he was more important that everyone else on set. berated another human being in front of everyone and only showed any sense of remorse once he got publicly outed for his asshole behavior. Maybe it’s all just perception, but it’s still the perception I have of him at the moment.
Look, Christian Bale might be a great guy. It’s possible that he was totally innocent in the incident with his mother. It’s possible he was totally justified in his behavior on the Terminator set. The point of this post is not “Is Bale right or wrong”… the point is that I’m amazed how quickly we all just let our favorite celebrity off the hook when we would have crucified almost anyone else in the exact same situation.
FACT: If it was anyone other than Batman, we wouldn’t have so quickly swept all this under the rug.
And for me personally, I’m still hung up on it. I’m sure I’ll get over it and I totally believe everyone deserves a second chance… but right now… yeah I admit it… the whole thing is effecting my enthusiasm for Terminator, and I wish it wasn’t.
No matter what are the comments, you all are defending him (them).
The truth is no longer the moral aspect of everybody’s live.
We are all afraid to say what needs to be said.
We must stick together in the same tone and voice and opinion or we will fail as an Americans.
The truth is we are the admirers of all the wrong doings because we envy the money and wealth that they have. In fact we need them to be stars and bad, so we can justify our bad behaviors and point the finger.
And if you argue, the terrorists win.
amen brotha! bale should be ashamed of himself. I’m embarrassed for him that he clearly hasn’t moved beyond his terrible two’s. I’m also really disappointed that all of the other cast and crew didn’t confront him (especially “mcEgo,” I wonder what it’s like to allow that to happen to another human being on set). Can you imagine if bale had been a well-known black, latino, asian, etc. actor? A woman? It would have been OVER. The paparazzi would have had a field day. Anyway, it’d be nice if we could collectively hold people accountable for their actions because really, in the end, allowing bale to indulge in bad behavior is a disservice to him.
who gives a shit Ledger was the only thing good about Dark Knight.
People have moved on to the Rihanna situation. That’s why this has been brushed aside.
john i feel sorry that its negatively affecting your anticipation for the new terminator film. i did understand the point of your post hence why i quoted you. i guess you and i just disagree. good debate though :)
“Then War of the Worlds went on to make a ton less money than the studios originally projected.”
in all fairness it still went on to be tom cruises highest grossing film of all time and speilbergs 5th or 6th highest so it still did well.
I came to his defense because I don’t know the man and I’m not as quick as everybody else to damn somebody to hell over something I have no understanding of, and no, you do not have an understanding of the parties involved and the months spent on a project, from a three minute audio clip. And you do not know these people.
The DP has forgiven him, and that’s all that matters, because after all, it’s NONE OF OUR BUSINESS.
nice try matt K, but if anything John will critique your spelling, but IGNORE your questions..
im still waitin for an answer to mine…
”
your article is well written and i see your point. but if this WASNT batman, would you have taken the time to write this long article, WEEKS after the story is evan relevant?”
i completely see where youre coming from john, but your point isnt fact, its just your opinion, which i respect….
but anyone could call someone with an opposing view “naive”, or evan worse, point out errors in punctuation, capitalization and spelling, on a damn BLOG.
but seriously, if this was some nobody actor on the set of the Anniversary, nobody would care.
Hey Heath,
How can you say:
IGNORE your questions.. im still waitin for an answer to mine
When your post had no questions in it. I just looked at it again… yup… no questions in it.
And if you want to call:
“your article is well written and i see your point. but if this was a nobody, would you have taken the time to write this long article, WEEKS after the story is evan relevant?”
a question… then I did indeed “answer” it in my very next post when I directly said:
“Also, you clearly missed the point of the whole post. This “story” is not “weeks after being relevant”. The post is about how, just weeks later, everyone seems to have forgoten about it, and how, with Terminator coming up fast, it is effecting my enthusiasm for the movie.
Therefore, it’s very relevant right now.”
So if that was a question, then I did answer it. So what are you talking about? Or do you just not read?
And for the record, I was very careful NOT to call Rob naive, but rather I thought the position he was taking was naive, just as I was sure that he would find mine naive… which is all fair. There is a difference between commenting on a point of view and commenting on the person who holds it. If you don’t understand that… I’m not really sure how to help you.
john,
im curious how does this ruin your anticipation for the movie, maybe its b/c im wired differently than you, but im still just as amped about this film regardless of how much attention his rant has received, like i said im just curious.
“the point is that I’m amazed how quickly we all just let our favorite celebrity off the hook when we would have crucified almost anyone else in the exact same situation.”
what is your definition of off the hook? i think bale WAS crucified by the media and by everyone who gave their opinion. enough so that he apologized to the public on the radio when it didn’t really require one. The fact that he plays batman has nothing to do with this. its a dead issue. you’re just a little late in getting your two cents in.
Hey Eric,
You said:
“The fact that he plays batman has nothing to do with this”
Hey, you’re entitled to your opinion, but I think that notion is total nonsense.
You also said:
“you’re just a little late in getting your two cents in”
Clearly you didn’t read my post. This post was not about Bale’s immature rant. It’s about how just weeks later we’ve all forgotten about it when we wouldn’t have if it were a less popular celebrity.
It’s also about how, for me, it is unfortunately negatively effecting my anticipation for Terminator as it draws closer and closer.
If you’re going to respond to my post, and least respond to what I was actually posting about.
“It’s about how just weeks later we’ve all forgotten about it when we wouldn’t have if it were a less popular celebrity.” Again you are wrong. Had this been a lesser celebrity it wouldn’t of even been an issue. This would have never made it public and you would have never even made a post about it. I’m sure you won’t respond to this post either but you only argue people points who have obvious flaws.
No Rob, you’re wrong.
Hey, you have your opinion, and I’m glad we can have this debate. But I firmly believe you’re being naive, just as you probably think the same about me.
Fair enough. Still fun to debate even if you can’t change the other person’s mind.
So you think if someone like Christopher Lambert flipped out on a guy on set of the new Mortal Kombat movie. The world would be in such an uproar more then they were with Christian Bale? So much so that it would still be a huge deal? This would effect peoples opinion of the movie and even stop people from going to see it?
I can’t say anything but BS. While he is a well known actor. He is not a big celebrity. It would of been swept under the rug had someone came out with the audio tape. It would have never made headlines and been on every News channel for a week straight.
The only thing I could see it effecting is Lamberts opportunities in future roles. Some producers might see him as a loose cannon and choose to go with someone else. While this won’t effect Bales future roles because he is a great actor. His acting ability surpasses his single outburst on set. Not to mention this has nothing to do with the rest of the world.
I agree with you that celebrities can get away with a lot and that is not right. Like when one of them hits someone with a car and kills them. They get a slap on the wrist. However this thing with Bale is so insignificant that it shouldn’t even be an issue. It should of been kept in house and never made public. The only reason it was is because some ass hole months later decided to release the audio. We didn’t hear about it the that day, the day after or even weeks after it happened. Only after the audio was release did it become public. The media had a field day with it. Now people just stopped caring. Because it’s just not important. They got their celebrity fill from it and now they are on to the next big scandal.
I don’t even think his outburst was that bad to be honest. If he went around breaking stuff and smashing lights like he threatened it may have been a different story.
Hey Rob,
Once again, all i can say is that I believe you’re being naive. But you’re entitled to your opinion.
You also don’t seem to see a difference between famous and popular.
In what why am I naive?
In fact your more critical and judgmental by saying we should still be outraged by his outburst. If anyone is being naive it is you.
Hey Rob,
You said:
“In fact your more critical and judgmental by saying we should still be outraged by his outburst. If anyone is being naive it is you.”
Wow… that’s just one step above saying “I know you are but what am I”. Nice.
Dude, once again I don’t think you actually read my post. My post is an observation, not a condemnation. Or did you miss the part where I specifically said:
“Christian Bale is not just a GOOD actor… he’s an AMAZING actor. His talent is indisputable, and not just because of Batman… he’s brilliant in just about everything he’s ever in.”
“Look, Christian Bale might be a great guy. It’s possible that he was totally innocent in the incident with his mother. It’s possible he was totally justified in his behavior on the Terminator set. The point of this post is not “Is Bale right or wrong”… the point is that I’m amazed how quickly we all just let our favorite celebrity off the hook when we would have crucified almost anyone else in the exact same situation.”
The post is an observation about US and about how I admit that the incident in question is effecting my anticipation of Terminator.
If you want to try to debate with me, at least debate what I’m actually saying… not hyperbole you make up.
I’m sorry did you not actually say “It’s about how just weeks later we’ve all forgotten about it when we wouldn’t have if it were a less popular celebrity.” Or did I just make that up too. So Ok you didn’t actually come out and say we should be outraged, However you feel we should all still give a crap after all this time has passed? Why? Before you go back to calling me naive again and tell more people they haven’t read your original post. Explain to me why we should still care? Then go on to explain why this is such a big deal when all he did was yell at someone for screwing up his scene.
I think I only responded to your original post once. Everything else I have said has been in response to your replies to other people.
Going back to someone Else’s post in a previous blog on here about this very topic. All jobs are different. Not everyone is excused from this type of behavior. In some environments things like this just don’t matter. For instance you wouldn’t blow up on someone if you worked in an office or in a court room as a lawyer. Some careers are more relaxed then other when it comes to peoples etiquette. Being an actor is one of them.
Hey Rob,
I feel like you’re asking me questions, then ignoring what I answer, and then just ask the question again.
You quoted:
““It’s about how just weeks later we’ve all forgotten about it when we wouldn’t have if it were a less popular celebrity.””
This again shows that the post is about US. Not passing judgement on Bale.
And yes… if this was a less POPULAR (not famous) person, we would be all over him and calling into question if we would see Terminator. Don’t believe me?
How about Tom Cruise? When he did his wild outburst on Oprah, the chat boards were filled with people openly questioning if they’d even bother going to see War Of The Worlds.
At that point his popularity had dropped due to the Scientology thing. So when the couch hopping insanity happened, because he wasn’t as “popular” anymore, people hammered him. Then War of the Worlds went on to make a ton less money than the studios originally projected.
Notice I’m not saying we the public were right or wrong to hammer Cruise so harshly… just observing that we DID.
So here comes along Christian Bale. He does something much worse than jumping happily up and down on a couch… and we all swept it under the rug… because he’s everyone’s favorite hero right now. He’s at the height of his popularity unlike Cruise was at the time.
Again, nowhere did I say we should or shouldn’t hammer Bale or that we should or shouldn’t feel one way or another about him…
My post was an observation about US. How we treated one mega star differently than another because one is popular right now and one wasn’t.
If you disagree with that, I totally respect that… but it is nonetheless my observation and opinion which I post here for you to debate.
This whole thing with Bale is something I couldn’t give two shits about. Things happen, and people make mistakes. Whether or not Bale thinks he’s the man and thinks he had “right” to yell at what’s his name, is his business. As long as his ass is in good movies, I’m there. I could care less about his freakin’ life.
King out.
I agree with you 100%, John. And I’m a fan of Bale, or was. I’ve chosen not to see Terminator 4 at the theaters because of it.
Too many people give this kind of behavior a pass. If regular folks act this way on the job they get what is usually called a pink slip.
If he wants my support as a fan again he needs to keep himself out of the news for a long, long time.
i dont think ppl FORGAVE bale BECAUSE hes batman.
i think that youre STILL writing about this incident, BECAUSE hes batman…
your article is well written and i see your point. but if this was a nobody, would you have taken the time to write this long article, WEEKS after the story is evan relevant?
i also think its a bit much to speak for EVERYONE and say that EVERYONE ‘forgave’ bale.especially becuz you think we ALL just love seeing him dressed up as a bat…
Rediculous.
please, JUST speak for yourself.
Hey Heath,
I’m clearly no spelling nazi at all… but dude, if you’re going to insult someone and call their opinion “Rediculous”, you’ve gotta make sure you spell it right.
Also, you clearly missed the point of the whole post. This “story” is not “weeks after being relevant”. The post is about how, just weeks later, everyone seems to have forgoten about it, and how, with Terminator coming up fast, it is effecting my enthusiasm for the movie.
Therefore, it’s very relevant right now.
They’ve forgotten about it because once again IT IS NOT A BIG FREAKING DEAL. He yelled at someone for messing up his scene. He was distracted by what the guy was doing behind camera during a intense part of the movie and took him out of his mind frame. How would that not piss anyone off?
The reason it got the amount of coverage it did is because A) He played Batman which was a huge hit, and B) The thing that happened with his Mother and Sister. Don’t forget they called the cops on him because he was physically abusing them. However neither one of them had a mark on them. You seems to just skip over that fact each time you bring it up.
Ha apologized to the cast and crew the next day and they continued to finish shooting the movie without incident. I still can’t understand why people are making this a big deal. I actually laughed the first time I heard it. Yet people make him out to be some big bad guy. It’s not like he secretly molest little kids in his trailer.
The world is to involved in celebrity lives as it is. Unless they die, are very sick, kill someone, or beat someone to and inch of their life. I don’t see how it’s news. Not to mention awhile back when a video came out about the director who flipped out on the set of I heart Huckabees or whatever the hell it was. How long did that last, 3 days? He actually went after a female. Yet this thing that happened with Bale seems to be way bigger news. Think about why that is for a moment.
I’m sorry that you’re letting this little incident bother you so much. After that new trailer Rodney posted. I’m more siked for the movie now then ever. I guess I’m one of the lucky few who don’t really care what happens day to day in a celebrities life. I can view thier personal life and their movies as 2 seperate things.
“It should be noted here that formal charges were never laid and the incident was dismissed.” – I think it should be more than “noted”, myself. I think it makes bringing up the issue at all spurious, speculative, and just as much “jumping to conclusions” as anyone who assumed he was innocent on the same evidence as you had.
Yes, people tend to forgive character flaws in people they respect professionally, it’s because we prefer black-and-white opinions of people we don’t actually know. This isn’t exactly news.
Hey “John”
You said:
“This isn’t exactly news”
I’m sorry… what part of “blog” makes you think this is a “news” site? This is my blog with my thoughts and opinions on movie stuff.
And dude, for you to be bad enough that your own mother and sister call the cops on you, charges or not, it’s enough to warrant thinking about it.
I have to tell you, I’m really moved toward losing interest in you. I mean, as a fan, that you would still be going on about this is a little hard to get over.
Why do you find yourself so personally invested in anyone cussing out anyone else?
Maybe so many people were quick to “forgive” and/or don’t seem to really care, because… well, who cares?
Meh…I always thought he was a pretentious dick. He never really had a normal childhood, and has been surrounded by publicity since he was very young…
I just think it might have to do with the way he was brought up in Hollywood.
I can definitely see where your coming from but it should be noted that what his mother claimed (at least when she brought it up again post-Hurlbut) was a verbal assault.
Hey, John,
I can’t believe the whole Bale incident actually dampened your enthusiasm for the new terminator film. I completely understand where you coming from though. Still, I have to say that people sort of moved on from this because there was no actual story to begin with. Now, if Bale had actually made good on his threats and kicked the shit out of the dude, then it would’ve been a different thing altogether. That’s not to say that his conduct was in any way less harmful because he only assaulted the man verbally. What’s wrong is wrong and I don’t think people were applauding Bale for what he did, but this shit happened ages ago and there are other things that people are truly concerned about that are way more important than what an actor throwing a hissy fit, regardless of how incredibly obnoxious and disgusting it may had been in the eyes people like yourself and the media. Anyway, the new Terminator Salvation trailer is up so I suggest you check that out because that shit looks as brilliant as any trailer that I had seen in the last several months.
He exploded at someone who was doing something that caused issues on set, was stupid to do, was a known ‘no no’, and caused additional shooting and cost.
Bale exploded, incorrectly, but exploded at someone doing the wrong thing none-the-less!
He also appologized to the guy, privately and publicly.
Its only his celebrity status (and the fact it is quite funny to hear) that keeps this issue rolling on, and really doesnt warrent long rants or such media attention.
I’ve heard old podcasts where you, John, have become enraged and passionately aggressive over the stupidity of people and things they do in the movie industry, and in many cases…rightly so. Unfortunately I cant quote any, but I am sure you remember quite a few times where you have erupted into a verbal tirade over stupid decision in the industry.
Just proof we are all human, its just celebrity status that makes it public, and highly judged. Not really because he is Batman, but because he is famous.
This isnt a defence of him btw, its a defence of a human reaction that was public, and pushed into wide range media giving it a higher impact.
I was one of the first to jump on Bale, because I was a fan and extremely disappointed. But when you notice that both the on set incident and the hotel incident took place within the same time, I think maybe Bale might have been going through a rough time. I mean, he’s a celebrity, an actor, but he’s human. And I dare anyone to say that they’ve never had a moment in their life where you were threatened by everything because of sheer stress or emotional fraility. After the apology, I decided to let it slide. To be honest, if Uwe Boll did something like this, no one would give a crap. At all. But because Bale is Batman, they gave a crap. I mean. I disagree John. I think that his fame was the main reason there was a major uproar at first. What about Alec Baldwin bitching out his daughter? People seem to forget that quickly. That was CHILD abuse. This was on set spat and a domestic DISPUTE. Arguments in the workplace (a set is a workplace) happen all the time, involving people we know. And while it’s embarassing, even the most loving homes have giant explosions related to stress and other private matters. Bale may not be MODEL citizen, but he’s no villain John. At least not where I stand.
I, for one, have been enjoying the countless parodies (Christian Bale yells at David after the Dentist, Christian Bale yells at Peter, Christian Bale Re-Mix).
But your point stands.
did you see the one Letterman did on his show, where the phone rings and they play Bale’s rant?
P.S. And Crowe is not anywhere near being the best actor – the guy can’t even hide is thick Australian accent. If you can’t hide an accent, you’re not a good actor. End of story.
the issue of “Who is the best actor”, all depends on who you ask, john obviously believes that Crowe is the best
So what was your point? I’m assuming it was a very slow news day.
Hey EricD,
I really don’t know how to help you if you can’t read it
I don’t understand why you’re still hung up on this John. Do you want us to never forgive him? Had he beat up the guy physically it would be a different matter.
We don’t know the full details on the “assault” on his mother. I’m forced to use quotation marks, because according to English law, yelling at someone qualifies as assault. So, yes, had T4 been filming at Pinewood Studios, the DP could have pressed assault charges against Bale.
On a related note, Chris Brown beat up his girl friend Rihanna. People seem less bothered by this than Christian Bale tearing into a cinematographer for 3 minutes.
Chris Brown does a crime, he can do some time.
so true…
and Chris Brown is doing no time btw. Plus the chick he beat up took him back.
Lovely huh?
Shocking? Yes.
Surprising? Not really.
Rihanna better wake up before one day, she won’t wake up at all.
A shocking statement for me to say? Yes.
Surprising? Not so much.
listen to the rant clearly.
the guy didn’t step IN FRONT of the camera.
if he did bale wouldn’t have been the only person to notice.
Obviously bale was being framed in the shot looking at bryce howard. the guy walked behind bryce howard who is off camera feeding lines to bale and distracted bale.
avoiding actors eyelines is a common rule on set. this guy distracted bale and bale had a fucking hissy fit like a big baby.
so once again the guy did not walk in front of the camera.
and to all you people who apparently encounter or engage in this type of behavior regularly in their daily lives well I feel very sorry for you.
oh i guess you’re right again John. Are you ever wrong?
I thought the dude walked INFRONT of the camera not behind. WAs he realy just making noise behind the camera? I thought he walked through the shot. Maby i should listen to the rant again.
I started liking bale since I heard his tirade. He was just taking control of the set because mcg is a lousy director. So christian had to step in and lay the smack down.
I actually agree with you jon on everything you say,I’ve been arguing the same ting with people on youtube under the bale outburst video’s and they all jump to his defense..and i agree with the russel crowe comment he is a an asshole but in my opinion one of the greatest actors of our time…I also like Tom cruise as an acotr I grew up on his movies…but he’s a weirdo and he should keep his mouth shut about scientoology nobody wants to hear that S!ht…so I was really angry and dissapointed at Bale’s actions and no matter how much i loved him as an actor and no matter how great i thought his movies were..I just couldnt come to his defense…he was just a complete tool…and i dont care how much stress…promotions for batman…..how hot it was…there is not excuse or justification for his actions PERIOD!
He yelled at the DP for fucking up his scene… You’ve never been pissed off at someone and yelled at them? Even at work?
Why is this even and issue? Oh that’s right. Because Bale is a celebrity. We all need to be in their lives and each and every celebrity can’t show any signs of humanity. They are only allowed to look pretty and smile for the camera.
Yeah I’ve got mad at people at work… but did I yell and cuss him out for 5 minutes straight in front of everyone at work,and make a fool of myself? No I would have gotten fired!! Are you serious dude?
Your right. Every situation is exactly the same.
oh god and I almost forgot, to have this affect your opinion on the movie itself?!?!?? So when Tom Cruise was at the height of his Scientology bullshit, you’re telling me you didn’t enjoy Minority Report? Or any other movies that had some prick of an actor most likely be an asshole to someone and come out with an awesome movie? Cmon dude…I think a lot of actors are lame, I actually really dislike quite a few, but LOVE their movies. God, Charlton Heston, what a douchebag gun toting retard he was, but man you can’t get better than Planet of The Apes or Omega Man. Now I HOPE that Terminator is good and Bale gets another awesome franchise.
Hey Eric,
I don’t think you actually read my post. I said myself that jerks (Crowe) can still be amazing actors… in Crowe’s case the best in the world.
And dude, I never said it effected my opinion of the movie… because I haven’t seen it. What I said is that it’s effected my enthusiasm and anticipation for the movie.
Or maybe Paul Newman, for being a irresponsible nutcase because he drove race cars and polluted the air. Maybe his spaghetti sauce was overpriced too …But we still loved him in “Cool Hand Luke” and “The Color Of Money”
That’s a silly, lame thing to say, right? Of course it is. But I can’t let this pass and have someone call another great actor who passed last year a ‘douchebag gun toting retard’ and get away with it. This was an actor who also stood up for civil rights as well, and, this isn’t about an actor living or dead who raced stock cars (Newman) or became a board member of the NRA (Heston) who stands by the second amendment. It’s about actor(s) who blow up on film sets/in public and we keep hearing about it ad nauseum.
By the way, Tom’s couch jumping hurt War Of The Worlds, not Minority Report.
Ok I understand where this is coming from (actually i don’t because I don’t care about this anymore), but your line about you being on many movie sets and saying that people move quietly behind the camera can not be your train of thought in how this incident came about.
Look at this way, because we honestly don’t know but let me lay it down:
Conditions:
1. A HUGE movie set
2. Have a Director of Photography who has worked on previous decent films
3. Have an amazing actor who I’m sure is probably super self-absorbed
STEPS: ( a possible scenario, we all don’t know the real facts)
1. Have a very important scene, a very emotional and somewhat involved scene
2. The DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY (everyone remember the DP sometimes is even 2nd in command to the director) moves a light, fiddles with other crap anything that would completely disrupt the scene
RESULT
Main high paid actor gets pissed and goes on a rant
EXPECTED RESULT
The DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY should have an idea of how things are placed and give the actor a chance to do his scene, or if he sees something DO HIS JOB to possibly fix it before the scene begins
sorry I dont know what really happened but a lot of times for this I feel that people keep forgetting exactly what a DP does. yeah I agree, I’m almost 100% positive bale is prick and self absorbed and thinks he’s the man, I think all of these high paid actors are that way, but please, if this was a gaffer or a simple lighting guy it would be something else, but the DP?!? Cmon, do a better job.
Seriously John I think to be still so effected by this is a bit ridiculous. In fact I think all the coverage it got was way over board. It’s not like Bale ran at the guy and kicked his face in. He flipped out. It happens. You said “Forums were filled with people saying (before knowing any facts)” about Bale punching his Mother. Yet all the facts we know are from the sound clip we get from Bale lashing out. You don’t know if the guy had done this before in previous shots. You don’t know how distracting the guy was being. You also don’t know how long they were shooting before this happened. Yet you make it sound like the guy was walking on pillows and Bale was looking for anything to flip out about. Come on man. Use some common sense, will ya?
I’ve actually read that Bryce’s father told Howard Stern on his show that Bryce called him shortly after that happened and that most of the cast and crew applauded Bale on his outburst because the guy he blew up on was a complete ass. He also said Bale apologized to the entire cast and crew the next day and they continued shooting without incident. Yet you say “Shortly afterward, Christian Bale came out and apologized for the incident. But that was MONTHS after it actually happened and only after it was released publicly”. Of course he didn’t publicly apologized until after it was public. The cast and crew moved on yet MONTHS later this sound clip gets released. Which only shows 1 part of the story. What was Bale to do? Publicly apologize! There is no point to come out and apologize to the public when he already apologized to the cast and crew and the public had no clue it happened. So what you said make no sense what so ever.
It’s not secret that Bale has a temper. Unless he beats the shit out of someone or kill someone on set who cares? It’s not the first time somoene has blown up on set and the fact of the matter is. This wouldn’t be a big deal if Batman wasn’t such a huge success. Because it’s not a big deal. So stop making it one.
The Family guy bit was funny as hell though.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been on lots of movie sets… and sometimes people do quietly move behind the camera while a scene is being filmed. It happens. It’s not a big deal.”
Hurlbut was tweaking the lights IN FRONT of the camera while the scene was being shot.
“Shortly afterward, Christian Bale came out and apologized for the incident. But that was MONTHS after it actually happened and only after it was released publicly. And it should be noted that he has apparently never actually apologized to Shane Hurlbut, the target of his outburst.”
Bale said in the radio apology that he apologized to Hurlbut THE VERY SAME DAY he had his outburst. They ended up shooting six more hours that day.
Not over it john?, may be it’s because your not Batman, Your comm track on the dark knght was ok, but i think everyone need’s to be looking at the T4 the actor sam worthington this mo-fo has about 5 fimls in the work’s ,but the thing in this S.O.B can’t act his way out of a paper-bag ,i fuck you all not,someone need’s to stop this asshole from fucking up these movie’s.
How could you ever be over it, it was such a classic scene that took everyone by storm and we loved it. Bring us more Bale.
I 100% agree with you John. I’ve been addicted to this movie blog for the longest time now and I’m glad to see that you have a good head on your shoulders. It is absolutely ridiculous that we let these things go and celebrities slide through the consequences of their life actions. I bet anyone if they do research to find out how many laws have been broken by celebrities and tally up the amount of years they should of gone to prison it would add up to more years then 3 generations of your family being alive. I work part-time at a retail school while I am finishing up my Audio Post-Production program in college and if I am at work and yell at a co-worker for 5 minutes no matter what the reason it was that set me off there wouldn’t be a single ounce of remorse for me I would lose my job and would not be able to afford to pay for my school. Year after year celebrities have been taking advantage of how highly the public looks at them and use it to do whatever they want. It is our right as PEOPLE to look at these other PEOPLE(celebrities) who happen to be blessed with amazing jobs that others can only dream about! to look at these celebrities and judge for ourselves if we think they are truly worth the position they are at in there career, because what most of you have seem to be blinded about is Christian Bale works for you, he works for me, he works for all of us. He is our entertainment puppet, our monkey dancing for change. If celebrities take advantage of there status that WE as fans put them in then we should take it away from them. Yeah yeah you’re thinking wow this guy’s nuts, stop christian bale from acting! You know what I love Christian Bales acting I seriously do, but as a human who knows the real meaning to treating other people as humans I saw F*&^ Him! Really, theres millions of people on this planet and hundreds of thousands of people who i promise could act just as good as christian bale and will never be allowed to. I would give ANYTHING to be in Christian Bales Position in his career. And I guarantee you would never see me breaking the law, yelling at anyone, or doing dirty ass drugs(not implying he does). Any ways to bring this rant to a point, we as a society need to open our eyes, take the headphones off our ears for a second and start judging things for ourselves instead of being mad at a celebrity when the media tells us to and then forgiving them when the media tells us to. We need to start looking around asking questions and demanding answers because if we keep going on this path of blind marco polo, we’re gunna watch the whole world die and when we open our eyes it’s going to be too late because the smoking gun will be in our hands and we were to dumb to notice.
Dan Silveira
what about the consequences of the guy who walked in front of the camera?
People have swept this under the rug despite Bale’s behavior and fame, not because of it. First of all, this is old news. Old news is old news. The president of the United States led us into an illegal war against a country that didn’t attack us — swept under the rug. We’re supposed to still give a shit that a DP no one’s ever heard of, and is by all outward appearances a relatively incompetent hack who shouldn’t be getting such high profile work to begin with, got a dressing down from an actor? I mean, shit, it comes with the territory.
And for the record, as far as I can tell, no one really cut Bale all that much slack. This story raged for two or three weeks, with songs and videos on the internet designed around his outburst.
The fact of the matter is, no one really cares about the personality of the actors we watch onscreen. Mel Gibson and his father are unrepentant Holocaust deniers and anti-semites. Russell Crowe is a drunk, mean-spirited creep. Tom Cruise on some of his productions has forbid crew members to look him in the eye.
Big. Fucking. Whoop.
We pay $10 or more to see a movie, we want the movie to be good. Stuff we won’t sweep under the rug? A recession/depression caused by many politicians, economists and Wall Streeters who aren’t going to be punished anytime soon. The ridiculously high unemployment rate. The continuing two wars the United States is almost unilaterally fighting.
Christian Bale assaulting (i.e., yelling at — battery is actually physically attacking someone, and he was never accused of that) his drunk, money-grubbing mom and sis, and then venting on a hack DP?
Don’t think so.
I don’t see why movie stars can’t be themselves. Why do we, the public need to care. It’s up to the police to make the arrest and court to make the decisions.
Your point about Uwe Boll is good though I’m sure his family would much prefer a good bit of verbal abuse to having to sit through some of his films.
Great post John. I love the part about Uwe Boll, that is so true. If it was him that did it, people would blame him right away and never forget it. Im so sick of people like that. Blae is a douchebag. Deal with it.
i not only agree wholeheartedly with this article…im PISSED at the other guy for letting bale (or ANYONE) talk to him like that…do you know how humiliating that is? and to have it come out publicly?! and not being able to respond to the guy because youll get fired!!??
“..im sorry…”
“DONT SHUT ME UP! DONT SHUT ME UP!!!”
“…i was moving the lights…”
“im gonna KICK YOUR FUCKING ASS!!!!”
i would rather not know anything about actors..because i dont want to become disappointed…what if gwyneth paltrow killed babies? well that would suck for me…
a bunch of people idolized this guy and like a lot of actors..hes a douche
it just scares me to know that tomorrow i might wake up and find a video with cate blanchet hitting a kid in the face
p.s.
i love gwyneth paltrow
Agree 100% John
While I agree with you entirely on the whole thing with his mother and his sister, I do disagree to some extent about the rant.
From all reports I’ve read, this wasn’t somebody walking around the set and oh, whoopsies, he was a few inches to the left by just a smidge of an accident.
The guy had a reputation for not only being a complete jerk himself and using similar abusive language to his own electricians, but I’ve read several separate reports that say that he habitually messes with the lights while cameras are running.
So while I completely agree that Bale’s rant was over the top, in bad form, and bad manners, I think if Bale hadn’t done it somebody else would have one day. People get screamed at far worse for doing far less on film sets every day. I started asking around all the people I’ve known who have been on sets and they listened to the tape and most of them agreed that it was not as bad as they expected and that they had heard worse or been called worse.
Does that make it okay? No. Should we take this as an opportunity to maybe start telling Hollywood professionals to stop yelling and screaming at anybody that is lower than they are on the totem pole? Yes, absolutely.
But should we demonize Bale and act like he flipped out and beat the crap out of a guy for being too close to him? No.
Even the person the rant was directed at has said he doesn’t care, Bale has apologized to the cinematographer and the public at large. It’s a non-story, and it needs to drop off unless people are going to use it to DO something or change something.
The thing with his mother? Should have been at least as large a story as the rant and was dropped like a hot potato two days later. So you have a huge point there, and it’s one that I think should be expressed.
I’m guessing most people are over this since he apologized. The only thing I can’t stand is people kissing his ass all because he played Batman.
i like your point here john and totally agree.
i have been on a lot of sets as well and to all you people who claimed that this type of thing probably happens all the time…..no it doesn’t.
can you imagine how tense that set must have been after that? everyone of eggshells in case bale has another flip out. it must have been awful.
another defense i heard was “people in my office have blow outs like that” …yeah well guess what that guy/girl in your office is an asshole as well.
no one in a position like bale should talk to a crew member like that….. humiliating him in front of everyone and if mcg had any balls he should have stepped up and tried to stop bale mid rant instead of standing there silent while a pampered movie star berates a guy for doing something fairly minor in the scheme of things. sure eyelines are important and actors don’t like being “fucking distracted” but come on… he is making terminator 4 not curing cancer
Frankly, I don’t see why we expect stars not to be jerks like the rest of us. Why hold them to a high standard of behavior when time and again they’ve proved they’re not better than the rest of us–they’re sins just get publicized more than ours do. Whatever happened on a closed movie set really should not have been made any of our business. It’s sad that he asked for our forgiveness and not that guy’s–shows how completely screwed up we are culturally about such things. Do I want to have a beer with him now? No, probably not. Has my opinion of is acting changed? No.
i agree
i agree with you and bigsampson….the guy did act like an asshole but what human being hasnt been an asshole once or twice in their lifetime….this is only news because they had a recording and this celebrity obsessed media blew it up….never understood why we look up to these people as being godlike….those celebrities are just like we are and we should treat them as such…..acting like they can do no wrong or condemning them for making mistakes like the rest of us is stupid
i personally disagree…but on the level of stereotyping the masses i would say its a possibility that people forgave cause he was batman…personally i forgave cause its none of my business and i wasnt there….but more importantly i dont care…..also …FORGIVE? wtf are we forgiving us for..he didnt do anything to us….u the media are the ones who blew this up…first with tmz….if a cpu technician at a tech co. flips out and goes ape shit…do we really think in are head….ya i forgive him….FOR WHAT…it has nothing to do with us…look up the meaning of forgiveness…..there usually has to be a act of some kind to the person who is the one doing the forgiving…thus some one saying i forgive christian bale should get punched in the face first so that said person could thus havea reason for forgiving. =) hope that made sense cause i really dont understand what the point of this was.
my mistake…i never forgave cause like i said why would i…
Hey Eric,
You just sorta proved my point.
I think your making a bigger deal than it needs to be. Regardless of the public’s reaction to the two incidents involving Bale the issue is resolved and the rest of the world has moved on. Was it wrong of Bale to embarrass Shane whatshisname…sure. But come on this post is a little late.
He was in the wrong for that rant but honestly
I just don’t care anymore it’s not gonna make me feel any different about seeing Bale’s movies. Celebrities have done way worse and have been forgiven by the public. On the plus side we got those awesome remix’s lol..
You’re right, image has everything to do with forgiveness of the public. He’s Batman, of course people will want forgive him even when we don’t know the whole story, we know him as a great actor while Uwe Boll we know as one of the worst directors of our time… The public will of course go with the great actor. Not saying this is ok, i agree that he was a total asshole who’s lucky he’s so popular that he got away with it. But if he pulls something like this again people won’t be so forgiving, there’s so much shit an actor can do before he becomes unlikeable. Like the Hannah Montana kid and Lindsay Lohan (I’m not AT ALL comparing them as actors to Bale but like public figures) they both started to make mistakes, and at first the audiences were forgiving but now the tide has turned and pretty much everyone bad mouths them. So as long as Bale doesn’t pull another douche move he’ll be fine.
i dont see the big deal anymore, i mean i was one of those who believes he was a douche for yelling at that guy(forget his name), but i mean Bale apologized on the radio and thats good enough for me, oh and john i maybe wrong but i think he just verbally abussed his mom and his sister not hit, but like i said i maybe wrong which rumor has it that incident took place the next day after Bale blew up on terminator set, but i maybe wrong on that to thats just what i heard.