People are shocked to find out that one of Christian Bale’s most celebrated roles didn’t reel in the big bucks we’d assume came with it, having been paid less than the makeup artists working on the flick. Watch the film’s trailer here:
Back in 2000, Bale starred in American Psycho, the film adaptation of the 1991 novel of the same name, which follows the story of yuppie investment banker Patrick Bateman as he leads a double life as a serial killer.
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After the film debuted at Sundance Film Festival, it went on to garner a huge cult following – many fans praising Bale’s mesmerising performance as sociopathic Bateman.
But while the movie produced one of the actor’s most memorable roles, it turns out Bale wasn’t paid quite as handsomely as his Hollywood status would have us presume.
In a new interview with GQ, Bale recalled how he only landed the gig because Leonardo DiCaprio turned it down. “Nobody wanted me to do it except the director,” he said.
“So they said they would only make it if they could pay me that amount.
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“I was prepping for it when other people were playing the part. I was still prepping for it. And, you know, it moved on. I lost my mind. But I won it back.”
Bale went on to reveal that he was paid ‘the absolute minimum’ for the job, and that the movie’s makeup artists were on more than him.
He continued: “In honesty, the first thing was that I’d taken so long trying to do it, and they had paid me the absolute minimum they were legally allowed to pay me.
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“And I had a house that I was sharing with my dad and my sister and that was getting repossessed.
“So the first thing was, ‘Holy crap. I’ve got to get a bit of money,’ because I’ve got ‘American Psycho’ done, but I remember one time sitting in the makeup trailer and the makeup artists were laughing at me because I was getting paid less than any of them. And so that was my motivation after that, was just, ‘I got to get enough that the house doesn’t get repossessed.'”
After TikTok account Hidden Movie Details shared the revelation in a video, many social media users were flummoxed by the news.
One person commented: “Damnnn. Mad respect for Bale.”
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Someone else asked: “How can a makeup artist get paid more than the main character of the movie?”
Another replied: “The movie was recasted and a new director was put on board. After it all fell thru him and the original director hopped back on with a small budget.”
Featured Image Credit: Matt Crossick/Alamy Lions Gate FilmsTopics: Christian Bale, TV and Film