14 DAY TRIAL // Christian Bale is one of the best method actors of our times, film critics often say, citing not only his impressive performances and the lengths he would go to to get into character, but also his willingness to physically alter himself for the part. “The Fighter,” one of his upcoming projects, saw him drop many pounds, to the point of sparking speculation of an eating disorder – now that shooting is over, the actor is returning to his former weight.
Fans were first shown that Bale would literally do anything for his art when he went down in weight for “The Machinist” only to pack many pounds of muscle a short while later for “Batman Begins,” where he first took on the caped crusader. This is perhaps why the obvious weight loss for “The Fighter” did not initially startle anyone – until photos from the set showed that Bale kept going slimmer and slimmer by the day, that is.
Recent pics snapped on a family outing show, though, that the actor is again reverting to his former, healthy self, no longer looking hollow in the face, sick in the body and with an ashen complexion, like he did when he was still required to play a drug addict. Since, not long ago, he was photographed with an apple in his hand, speculation had it that that was all he ate for an entire day. Consequently, he’s clearly eating more than just an apple, fans and celebrity bloggers say, more or less jokingly.
As we also reported a while back, Bale got so thin that, at one point, even “The Fighter” co-star Mark Wahlberg was presumably worried about whether he had an eating disorder or not. The actor is known for his yo-yo-ing weight, but he had never, until then, lost this much weight without the aid and supervision of a nutritionist, reports said at the time, which made even Wahlberg believe the disappearing pounds were taking a toll on Bale’s health.
“Christian is a method actor. If a role calls for him to look like a drug dealer, or he has to play someone who hasn’t slept in a year, he’ll go without food to look the part. But the danger comes after he takes off that weight, and then eats everything in sight to put it back on for the next role. That kind of yo-yo dieting can be deadly. Mark and Christian are friends, and Mark is concerned about him.” unnamed sources were saying for the tabloids back then.