There's a buzz, it's getting louder...dust fills the air as it approaches, then out of nowhere it flies by like a bat out of hell.  No it's not the wicked hand of the gossip beat or the cowardly pimping privacy for a buck...it's the Baleman lost in the solitude of a 2 stroke Honda 250 far from the leering eyes trolling the trendy Ivy likes rats.

In defense of Christian Bale.

There is an unmistakable humanity in this man gifted to us full of vulnerability and undeniable honesty...qualities  notoriously absent in the dismantling of a celebrity.  Also missing from page 6...perspective, context and fairness. Shocking.

Given Bale's allergic disposition to the limelight, the consummate actor has been in the crosshairs of Hollywood gossip mongers for years.  But make no mistake this is not the Hollywood ruckus you think it is and this is no ordinary actor plunging into self destruction.

While the media salivates over the careless or more likely revengeful leak of an isolated heated moment on the set of Terminator 4 I'm reluctant but nonetheless compelled to share a first hand account of the most underrated gracious actor I've ever worked with.

In fierce defense of Christian Bale I'm going to break the code of movie set confidentiality and paint this picture with a more thoughtful brush. As the Producer of Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn I spent six months with this man and I want you to know what I know.

Let me start at the end. 

Who are you?
It was late morning when I rolled onto the Warner Brothers lot in Burbank California in my new Range Rover for and ADR session [audio replacement] with Christian and Werner. I was early, I parked and made a few phone calls while I waited.  Moments later a beat up oxidized blue 1980 Toyota pickup truck pulled into the space next to me.  I glanced over, there was a guy in a baseball cap, nobody I knew...Fuck that's Christian!  For a moment I was paralyzed with shame, struck by his modesty... wondering what I was doing driving an $85k car when a perfectly good running truck was satisfactory for this guy.  I slumped in my seat hoping he wouldn't look over and notice me.  After he walked in I managed to get out of my shiny new car and go to work.

Perspective...On the Set
To be fair movie sets themselves are a hotbed of gossip, egos and combustible creative energy.  As a First Assistant Director running the set I've always tried to create a palette free of drama and distraction understanding that it's hard enough for actors to deliver unbridled honesty in front of 150 people let alone blocking out lights, cameras and equipment not inherent in the world they are operating in.  In the case of this rant Christian was reacting to his "eyeline" meaning anything fixed or moving in his line of vision that would jolt him from the space his character is in. This is standard set protocol something a professional should never do.  Just before the camera rolls on any shot the assistant director will "lock down" the set meaning his production assistants alert the world that "nothing moves".  When a breach happens it's usually accidental and usually because a production assistant dropped the ball.  So a Director of Photography wandering around checking lights in the middle of the scene it is a big problem.  Was Christian's reaction severe...probably, but the guy is a professional he comes prepared and expects those around him to be as well.

Surviving Herzog
Working with the legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog usually involves pain and sometimes death.  Tales of the making of his films dwarf the films themselves...his life is poetry laced with mystery and adventure that is curiously magnetic to actors.  Add the Thailand jungle for 6 months, helicopters, jet fighters, war ships, explosions and crazy monkeys and you have a hell stew.

Christian came with his eyes wide open and emaciated.

When he arrived in Thailand with his lovely wife Sibi and their child I had arranged for an assistant, security and  accommodations at the best hotel in Bangkok.  It wasn't a few minutes into our first meeting when he pulled me aside and asking me to move him to the hotel where the crew was staying and to lose the assistant and the security. 

But that was nothing compared to the next part.

Just before a script meeting in pre-production I was going through the transportation equipment needs with Herzog when Christian walked in.  He was gracious, he took a a seat and asked us to finish.  So I say to Werner "I've locked these trailers for you and the cast" at which time he declared There will be no trailers!. Silence.  Most actors would have walked right out of the room, I mean the Thai jungle is hot.  Werner then said They will rest in huts or under a tree.  Silence. Waiting for Christian to say something.  Nothing.  Instead he leans into the production assistant and asks for a diet coke.

Let me ask you this...how many movie stars would lose 60 pounds, starve and shoot for 50 days in the hot sticky jungle in a hot flight suit and lounge in the dirt? He did.

On set Bale, who is a self-identified Directors actor, one who trusts and rarely disrupts his directors vision jumped in with both bare feet literally...running through fields of thorns and never complaining for a moment.  During lunch while the rest of us were scarfing insane Thai food he was nibbling on watermelon and sipping diet coke.

He did have his moments though but they were justified.

During the rehearsal of an airborne helicopter scene where Bale dangles on a cable 1000 feet in the air and gets dragged into the copter I noticed that the steel seat at the end of the cable he sits on, which weighs a couple hundred pounds, was too high and would swing into the copter rather than hitting the door.  I told Herzog we need to lower the seat so it wouldn't swing in and hit Christian at which time he told me it was fine.  Of course, Christian who mostly does all his own stunts was not cool with this scolded Werner..asking him to "Listen to Harry...I'm not going to fucking die here"  Werner sensed the concern apologized and it was over that fast.

What is not generally known about movie sets and scheduling is that the long hours combined with tired crew usually lead to mistakes that often make things dangerous.  Unfortunately for an actor they have to perform at 3am or 3pm...happy or sad, sick or not.

One day during one of the torture scenes our Thai soldiers tie Christian's hands behind his back, tie his feet together, hang him upside down and spin him...while he's covered with real ants!  This was dangerous for several reasons but mostly if the actors lost control of the rope holding him up he would fall and break his neck.  Anyway we did the scene several times spinning and spinning him...he was getting ill and Herzog was asking for more so it created a tense situation.  Out of nowhere, Herzog starts calling "stop" to end a take instead of "cut" and it set Christian off.  he said "Look we dont' know what stop is and we won't stop if you say stop...say cut"...very next take Werner yells "STOP".  Christian now vomiting says "If you say Stop one more time I'm done for the day".  he didn't and that was it.  We then went on to holding his head under the water for 5 takes.

Point is a movie sets ia a volatile place of business and there are so many things influencing every single shot.  Every person is focused on their job and sometimes forget they all need to work in concert for things to be harmonious.  And then there are times where personalities just don't jive and it usually ends with somebody leaving...that's life.

It wasn't all work though, during one location in the city Christian was so tired of the jungle that he organized a paintball outing for a group of us.  He was like a kid running around shooting everybody.

When we were leaving one of the Producers arranged this crazy military escort for Christian and I to the airport.  It was surreal.  5am we walk out of the hotel, soldiers with machine guns, a convoy of cars.  We both looked at each other like this is stupid.  Talk about drawing attention to yourself.  When we arrived at the airport they escorted us to some private lounge at which time we walked out and went to a coffee shop.

There are a million stories I could tell you but I'm not about editing my writing and thats what comes to mind.  I'll leave you with this.  A month after we left Thailand I returned to direct all of the 2nd Unit work, special effects, greenscreen etc.  A week into the shooting my stage was raided and I was arrested on a work permit violation [ a very political story...another post]  Christian and his wife were the first to call my wife and let her know they were there to help.

I hope this puts things more in perspective for you, gives you some context to judge the sensationalistic audio being peddled out there and encourages you to consider fairness and motive when engaging this type of stuff.

Think about it...why don't you see photos of Christian at the clubs or TMZ video of him dining at Nobu or walking the red carpet pimping himself?  I'll tell you why...he's about the work period.  He's a family man living a modest life knowing it could all end tomorrow and one gets the feeling he would be ok with that.