Why Christian Bale Stopped Talking To Chris Rock On The Set Of Amsterdam
Christian Bale might be known for his onset behavior and sometimes drastic process nearly as must as for his roles. His unfortunate meltdown on the set of "Terminator Salvation" and extreme weight fluctuations for multiple roles are the stuff of Hollywood legend at this point.
One of Bale's latest projects finds him reteaming with director David O. Russell, who previously worked with the actor on 2013's "American Hustle" and 2010's "The Fighter," the latter of which won Bale an Oscar (via IMDb). Bale now stars alongside Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Alessandro Nivola, Andrea Riseborough, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Chris Rock in "Amsterdam," a period piece about three friends, a doctor, a nurse, and a lawyer, who are framed for murder. Part of Bale's process for this movie was to actually stop talking to Rock on set — despite the fact that he's a fan of Rock's comedy and has nothing against him.
Bale couldn't keep in character around Rock
According to Christian Bale, David O. Russell asked Chris Rock to tell Bale some stories when he arrived on set, and Bale found himself enjoying the free comedy act as a fan of Rock's stand-up (via IndieWire). "But Chris is so bloody funny and I found that I couldn't act, because I was just becoming Christian laughing at Chris Rock," Bale said.
The actor actually told Rock that he was going to have to start ignoring him because he was making him break character, an unusual occurrence for the thespian. "So I had to go to him, I went 'mate, I love talking to you, and we have mutual friends, but I can't do it anymore. 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,'" he said.
Bale has spoken about having a tendency to get the giggles while on set. It's actually one of the reasons he forces himself to stay in character in between takes, something Rock was clearly making difficult. "You start to get the giggles and you can't stop. I never want to step out of a scene and be objective, because as soon as I do, I find it hilarious," he said about his process to Variety in 2013.