Christian Bale and His Tantrum
Are Actors' Outbursts Acceptable, Because They're Artistic?
Mar 30, 2009
An Artistic Temperament
His angry tirade was directed at Shane Hurlbut, a cinematographer, who walked across Bale’s line of sight, during a take. But surely, thirty-five year old Bale is a little old to be throwing his toys out of the pram?
Clearly this incident must be incredibly embarrassing for Christian Bale, especially as it was only in July of last year that he was arrested, for allegedly assaulting his mother and sister. The charges were dropped, however, the fact that these two incidents have happened, in fairly quick succession, does nothing for Bale’s reputation.
Four Minutes From The Set of Terminator Salvation
The tape, which was recently released, makes for excruciating listening. You would be forgiven for thinking, upon first hearing, that it is actually just one big joke, and that Bale is simply sending himself up. However, it quickly becomes clear that Bale is not joking. His expletive-ridden rant is all too real. So, should Bale have been fired from the movie? Or, is the publicity that has been caused going to make it a must-see film?
It’s certainly fair to suggest that this kind of behaviour would not be accepted in any other work place, so why is it seen to be permissible on a film set? Admittedly a film set is a stressful and highly charged environment. There is a lot of comment on the internet about the emotional intensity of the shot being filmed, and it has also been mention that Hurlbut repeatedly adjusted his lights during shooting. But does this really justify the tamper tantrum? There are many jobs which are much more stressful than acting, and surely, in any other circumstance that kind of outburst would not be tolerated.
The other issue worth addressing is that Bale’s rage does not seem to have been curbed by the director. Surely, McG should have attempted to diffuse the situation. From the evidence given by the tape, it seems that he made no attempt to do so.
Bale's Apology
Bale called a Los Angeles radio station and made a public apology for, what he described as, his inexcusable behaviour. He expressed his regret and embarrassment over the scandal and put his rage down to having had a bad day.
However, Christian Bale is certainly not the first actor to lose it, and he definitely will not be the last. It may be that some successful actors cease to have a sense of perspective. They are grotesquely well paid and may gain an inflated sense of self-importance. Perhaps, in Bale’s case, it is the enormous success of The Dark Knight which has gone to his head. Although, during his public apology he insisted that this is not the case.
Only time will tell whether this scandal affects the popularity of Terminator Salvation.
