The Dark Knight

When most people think of Christian Bale they simply think of him as Batman. However, some of his most diverse roles and award winning ones have come in other films that he has been a part of. Most notably, in 2011 he won an Oscar for best supporting actor in The Fighter. Overall, it was not simply his acting that earned him this award, but his dedication to the role and to every role he plays. This dedication is what seems to make Bale one of the greatest actors of all time and not simply just Batman.

Compliments of IMDb

Although it is true that seemingly nobody knew who Christian Bale was before his Batman debut, his true genius in his acting career came slightly before his first role as Batman. In 2004, Bale played a role as an industrial worker who was suffering from a year of no sleep and slowly losing his mind. However, the best part of his role in this film is the turn around that he has to make at its conclusion.

During filming, Bale weighed a mere 124 pounds. At the end of filming, he had a mere six weeks before the beginning of Batman to be in “superhero shape” for Batman Begins! This means he had to gain 61 pounds in nearly six weeks! This seems like nearly an impossible feat. However, with dedication like Christian Bale’s, he was able to make it happen. The actor went on a strict workout routine and ate nearly every 2-3 hours in order to gain so much weight. This remarkable transition can be shown below in a truly stunning picture.

Compliments of bodybuilding.com 

Those on the set of Batman Begins were truly astounded by his physique. Nevertheless, this was not the only thing that made Bale perhaps the greatest actor to be ever cast as Batman. His deep voice and vigilante attitude throughout the Dark Knight trilogy allowed for the movies to become so successful. As Bruce Wayne, Bale was able to act as a rich playboy who seemingly has too much money to blow. However, as Batman he was able to play a rough and tough superhero who takes matters into his own hands.

His performance in the second installment of this series entitled The Dark Knight is one of the reasons it was so successful. It has been ranked as 4^th best movie of all time by IMDb. This is truly a remarkable feat.

Outside of Batman, Bale should his diversity in acting by playing a druggie trainer in the movie The Fighter. Bale seems to play the part so well it actually appears as if he is on drugs. Although, this was a supporting role to that of Mark Wahlberg, it was Oscar worthy none the less.

Following the conclusion of Batman filming Bale took on several big time roles including a part in American Hustle. For this movie he gained 43 pounds and even shaved his head to play a genius con artist. This transition was similar to his previous, however this time it was all fat. The once superhero now had a 40 pound gut all for the sake of acting.

Overall, Bale has shown time and time again that he not only has the acting skills to place him as one of the best of all time, but he has the dedication to do so as well. He is not simply just Batman.