Christian Bale, ever the consummate professional, decided to “isolate” on the set of his latest film because Chris Rock was just too funny.
The pair were making David O. Russell’s Amsterdam together, and the director initially had Rock tell the actor comical stories on set to make them gel.
The comedian turned out to be “so bloody funny”, however, that it prevented the notoriously studious Bale from properly getting into character.
“I remember his first day, I was excited to meet him, I’m a big fan of his standup,” Bale told IndieWire. “Then he arrives, and he’s doing some things… David (O. Russell) told him to tell me some stories that I didn’t know he was gonna tell me, which is the way David works often. And I was loving it.
“But Chris is so bloody funny and I found that I couldn’t act, because I was just becoming Christian laughing at Chris Rock.”
That led Bale to come to a sad realisation. “I went, ‘Mate, I love talking to you, and we have mutual friends, but I can’t do it anymore,” he continued. “Because David didn’t ask me to make this film so he could just watch me giggle. He wants me to be Burt and I’m forgetting how to be Burt.’”
Not that Bale blames Rock one bit; distancing himself from other cast members has always been part of his acting process. “I often meet these incredible people, but I isolate myself,” he explained. “Because if I get to know people too much, I find I just don’t believe what I’m doing in the scene.”
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Amsterdam, a period mystery comedy, also stars the likes of Margot Robbie, John David Washington, and Taylor Swift. It’s set to be released on Friday, October 7th.
The film hasn’t been without its detractors, however, with many people online highlighting David O. Russell’s controversial past.
For more on this topic, follow the Film & TV Observer.
Check out the trailer for ‘Amsterdam’:
