Christian Bale says he owes his career to Leonardo DiCaprio declining roles

Despite Bale being a star in his own right, the 48-year-old said as he’s frequently taken roles that The Wolf of Wall Street star has already rejected.

"Look, to this day, any role that anybody gets, it’s only because he’s passed on it beforehand.

"It doesn’t matter what anyone tells you. It doesn’t matter how friendly you are with the directors. 

“All those people that I’ve worked with multiple times, they all offered every one of those roles to him first. Right?

"I had one of those people actually tell me that. So, thank you, Leo, because literally, he gets to choose everything he does. And good for him, he’s phenomenal.”

When asked if he ever takes it personally, Bale humbly said: “Do you know how grateful I am to get any damn thing? I mean, I can’t do what he does.

"I wouldn’t want the exposure that he has either. And he does it magnificently.”

He also jokingly suggested that every Hollywood actor who is a similar age to DiCaprio owes their film career to him.

The A-lister, who is famously known for his commitment to roles, also revealed why he avoids his co-stars on-set.

He insists it's not because of a diva-like behaviour, but so that he can elicit the best performance during production.

He said: “I can’t do this because I will be the worst actor you’ve ever seen if we keep on chatting. You know, with Amsterdam, I had to say that to Chris Rock. 

“I had to go there and say that to him.

"I f**king love his stand-up. And when he arrived I was like, ‘Ah, wow, great. Yeah, how you doing, man?’ Chatting a little bit. And then I went to do a scene, and I went, ‘Oh, my God. I’m just Christian, standing here, being a fan of Chris Rock.’

"So I went to him. I went, ‘Mate, I got to keep my distance.’”

I mean, given that the star has won many accolades, clearly giving him his space works.