While I promised all my Dark Knight interviews would run before the movie came outâ¦I decided to wait till after opening weekend so more of you would actually read them.
I knew a number of people (and readers) that didnât want to know anything about the movie and they avoided every spoiler and interview so they could be surprised. Andâ¦I think that was the smartest decision any of you could make.
After all, director Christopher Nolan and the team behind The Dark Knight spent years making this brilliant film and learning everything that happens before walking inâ¦.I think it defeats the entire purpose.
Anywayâ¦since millions of you have now seen this brilliant filmâ¦I figure you might want to read some interviews with the people who made it.
So posted below is an interview I participated in with Christian Bale. While Christian clearly isnât the biggest fan of talking to the press, he did open up by the end when he started talking about his favorite parts of the movie and all the stunts he did himself.
As always, you can either read the transcript below or download the MP3 by clicking here.
And if youâd like to read an interview with David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan,
Christian Bale: You know Iâm finding that more and more on movies nowadays just with the Internet, you know, and these movie haters. You like to give spoilers to everybody all over the place. Itâs not unusual to have a lot of secrecy around movies that donât have even the expectations of something like âThe Dark Knightâ. Is that what you were referring to?
Q: Yeah, sort of. Just a lot of times people will hit you up in an interview being like can you tell us all about this and youâre sort of guarded about it.
Christian Bale: Yeah, well you know I still have to be guarded somewhat. I donât want to be giving away the endings and everything in the interviews but itâs nice to be able to talk about something that you feel has been successful and work that youâre proud of. Itâs not nice when youâre having to talk about it when youâre not very proud of it.
In a sequel to a franchise film like this a lot of time filmmakers say that this is the film they wanted to make the first time around because they donât have to set anything up anymore. Now they can get to the heart of the story of what thisâ¦
Christian Bale: I wouldnât abandon the first one quite so easily as that. I mean I enjoy very much âBatman Beginsâ. I think it was done superbly. I really enjoy the origin story. Itâs absolutely essential. âThe Dark Knightâ couldnât exist without having had âBatman Beginsâ beforehand. What I do think is that previous to âBatman Beginsâ everyone was going on faith of what Chris Nolan was saying he was going to do whereas now with âThe Dark Knightâ they had proof of what he was going to do and I think that in my eyes it appears as though he was given more freedom to make exactly the movie that he wished to. So we see an even more realistic appearing Gotham, the characters and I think heâs really nailed it with this ability to take this certain genre of movie, but not have it be constricted by that genre, you know? And truly has made a superb story and finely crafted movie that I think stands up against any movie regardless of genre.
Could you talk a little bit about with working in the IMAX format because it looks brilliant?
Christian Bale: Not really, I donât really have any idea about that. Itâs a bigger camera and it makes more noise and thatâs about it. Thatâs all I know about it. Iâve yet to see the movie on IMAX. I know I understand and hear that it is very spectacular to see it there, but as far as Iâm concerned I donât care what kind of cameraâwhether itâs digital, IMAX, film--whatever the hell it is pointing at me, Iâm doing the same thing.
Gary Oldman mentioned it came with an instruction booklet on how to act. Would you have happened to see that?
Christian Bale: The IMAX thing?
Yes.
Christian Bale: Well, I missed that one. Damn.
The first Batmanâthe story is very different from this oneâthis is a much more street level Batman. This is a crime epic as opposed toâ¦the first one was sort of bigger and had sort of world aspects to it. Does that affect the way youâre playing Batman this time because it is more of crime epic? A little bit more noir and pulpy?
Christian Bale: Well itâs certainly moreâ¦there are more mind games being played here in this one. You know, Batman will always have this conflict within himself of his altruistic side vs. his raging violent demonic side, but added to it with this one is the notion that he wants out, you know? He does not want to continue to be Batman. He is looking for somebody who can be like he says a hero with a face, which will make Batman obsolete which is his initial goal. He doesnât want to have a
As you said, Bruce Wayne in this movie wants to quit being Batman. Can he ever do you think? Will there ever be day that Bruce Wayne could stop being Batman? Is there a Bruce Wayne left in there anymore?
Christian Bale: I think again thereâs 2 minds about that. I think that on the one hand he needs to. I think this is not something he feels he can continue to do endlessly in terms of physical and mental toll that it is taking upon him, but I think thereâs also an addiction to it, you know? I think the day that he did actually take off the suit and burn it, I think that he would beâ¦I donât think he would know what to do.
Do you, Christian, feel the same way about the role yourself? I mean did you start off thinking with the first Batman that you were going to continue doing the franchise and do you ever get tired of it? Are you excited about doing another one possibly?
Christian Bale: No, I mean listen the possibility of doing another one is completely Chris Nolanâs decision. And if heâs doing it then absolutely I know that he will be coming up withâ¦heâs presented himself with a huge challenge of surpassing this one, I believe. And very much so with the challenge of surpassing The Joker as a villain. How do you up that? Itâs a very tricky thing to do. If anybody can do it I think Chris can. So thatâs his choice. Iâve actually enjoyed very much reprising a role. Iâve never experienced that before and I like it a great deal.
We do see the detective side of Batman on this thing. Whose input was that? Was it Jonathan or was it Chris, was it David, or was it yourself that wanted to see more of the detective come out?
Christian Bale: No, it wasnât me. Iâm not sure out of them. They have a way of working together Jonah and Chris and David. Youâll sometimes get one of them kind of begins it and the other one then comes in and then it switches up. You know that happened with âBatman Beginsâ in âThe Prestigeâ in there and so thatâs a question for them.
Weâve talked to the other cast members who have all uniformly said how Heath came in and helped raise their performance as well because of how free he was with the character. Can you talk about working with him and sort of how that informed your own performance?
Christian Bale: Yeah, I think that the tone for the performances had already been set. Chris picked a really wonderful cast and each and every person was up in the game. Heath clearly had created a character which I was absolutely happy to stand back and witness and see what this guyâs going to completely steal the show, you know? And in a fantastic way. In a deserved fashion, you know? The Joker is a hypnotic character. I mean one thing that weâd always wanted to make sure is that in all the other portrayals of Batman that Iâd seen, heâd always been less interesting than the villains and I think weâve found the true interest and I find Batman to be absolutely fascinating, but, clearly, the first movie was all about Batman and how he came to be that. Well now we see him, heâs in a position of power already, well now is the time that we start introducing these other archetypal villains. And Heath did just a fantastic job. It was a real pleasure to work with him, to see his immersion in it. It gave me a lot of amusement because I enjoy watching somebody when they commit themselves so absolutely to a role. And itâs absolutely right, yeah. I mean I think heâs just raised the bar in general as Chris has for villains, you know? Heâs created an iconic villain for the ages and I think simultaneously Chris has raised the bar for so-called genre movies, you know? They donât have to be limited to being considered good action or good superhero movies. They can be good movies finish and I think this one stands on itâs own 2 feet against any drama thatâs been out there this year.
You do small films. You do big films and youâve just signed on to do another huge potential franchiseâa rebooting of âThe Terminatorâ franchise. Were you ever hesitant at all or were you like âall right, cool. Letâs do another one?â
Christian Bale: No, absolutely, I was hesitant. I was working on âPublic Enemiesâ with Michael Mann in
I wanted to know that you have in this filmâin Dark Knightâyou have some big action set-pieces and you have some very small moments. Do you have a favorite whet you looked at the film that youâ¦just a favorite of the film?
Christian Bale: Iâd have to watch it a few more times to really understand the favorite. The ones that immediately come into my mind are actually the interrogation room scene with Heath. I did enjoy that greatly, largely because that was the first time that we were sitting together in that room by ourselves, just recognizing how we were going to be portraying these characters. In terms of experience, I did enjoy to no end the standing on the edge of the
Did you just say that you were on the edge of the
Christian Bale: Yes. I was. Itâs not really a stuntâ¦.itâs more of an experience, you know? I had a cable. They werenât going to let me plummet 110 stories to the bottom. I could have fallen but I would have just had a nasty bang and surprised some office worker down below and get hauled back up. But yeah, no all the fight sequences I do myself. With that I had to turn to my stunt double, Buster, and say, âsorry buddy that oneâs mine. Iâve got to be doing that oneâ, but I gave him slamming into concrete pillars at 30 mph, falling 5 stories onto a car. That stuff I said, âthatâs yours. You can take that one.â But the
Youâre playing a superhero but do you have one in real life? A hero?
Christian Bale: You know what, I was never much one for heroes growing up; Iâve really got to say. I was never into comic books. I mean the first time I had any interest in Batmanâ¦I enjoyed very much Adam Westâs kind of spoofing of what I think Bob Kaneâs original intention was and I think he did a great job with that, but I was never into comic books. I just happened to come across Frank Millerâs âBatman Year Oneâ and have enjoyed that tone and that was the first time that I felt that I could see that Batman could be played in a real interesting fashion and the concept of graphic novels from that, but Iâve never been somebody really who looks for heroes.
Do you have one in real life?
Christian Bale: In real life? Well you know what, God bless him, that would be my father.
Are we seeing you at Comic-Con?
Christian Bale: When is that?
July 26th? 23rd, 24th, 25th.
Christian Bale: Iâm not in the country.
All right, good deal.
Christian Bale: You didnât want to see me there.