When Actors Go Mental.
Posted by Stephen Fairbanks on February 5, 2009
It must be difficult these days being a rich, handsome, award winning actor – what with all that, er… being rich, handsome and award winning…
Cases in point, Christian Bale and Joaquin Phoenix – both, over the last few years, have made the jump from promising acting talent to bona-fide Hollywood A-list. Bale becoming the thinking-man’s ass-kicker with the likes of his phenomenally successful spot as the Batmaaan, and then there’s Phoenix who, not too long ago, got nominated for the exalted Best Supporting and Best Actor at the Oscars.
So, what are they doing in 2009? Riding high on a wave of success? Well, kind of, yes. But it seems being successful, handsome and rich ain’t what it’s all about, these days it’s all about growing huge beards, falling off stages and screaming at the personnel like a spoilt little girly-girl.
If you haven’t already seen or heard, Joaquin Phoenix – the Gladiator and Walk The Line star has decided the best thing to do for his career right now is to quit. And put on a lot of weight. And grow a big beard. And become a rapper. And fall off stages…
To wit:
And, of course, if you’re making the decision to quit a highly lucrative and respected career to become a plump, hairy ‘rapper’ you can expect people to think you’re not being entirely serious, right? Well not if you’re a Hollywood star:
To wit tw-oo:
Then there’s Christian Bale, whose need to be taken seriously as an actor has lead him, oh-so-predictably, to being dressed as a rubber-clad, ass-kicking bat, and then – not to be typecast as the camp action hero type – he promptly signed up to appear in a film directed by the man responsible for such muted, highly regarded filmic treasures as Charlie’s Angels, and… Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.
It seems for Bale, then, his latest venture – Terminator: Salvation – puts him at the zenith of his seriousness. So, when someone mistakenly walks onto a set while you’re trying to pull your ninja moves on a T-800… things are bound to get a little heated:
‘Christ!’ He must have thought… does Robert De Nero have to put up with this? A man mistakenly walking onto his set!? Probably not! The point is, Mr. Bale, you should lighten up… sure, someone walking into your scene can be annoying, but, really… do you have to scream and cry for FOUR fucking minutes?!
I’m trying to find the video where Vin Diesel threatens to kill himself because some sneezed near his bagel…
Reader Comments
Steve Martin Re-enacts it
http://ccinsider.comedycentral.com/2009/02/05/stephen-colbert-goes-christian-bale-on-steve-martin/
I think Bale was totally right. If someone is blatantly being an idiot you have every right to be angry. Even 4 minutes of angry.
You’v obviously never been in a fight Steve.
Go punch someone you dont like. I want to punch the guy behind me. Hes fucking me off this very second just talking. ARgggggg
Ha, nice video.
It’s just the way Bale goes on about it… fair enough, he’s angry… someone has just messed up, but can’t he just say: “Don’t do that again, you prick!” and get on with it?
Those actors must me under a lot a pressure, eh?
You should kiss the guy behind you Simon, I’m sure he’d leave you alone. Is it Dave S behind you? It’s probably best to leave him alone… he could scream longer than 4 minutes i’d imagine.
Dave Scott wouldnt have bothered with the shouting part Im sure and got right to the fighting part :p
I dont see why Bale didnt punch him alright. I cant imagine being that angry with a bloke and not punching him. Im pretty near hitting the guy behind me. Nick-named Motorhead because he just talks about cars and the motorway all the time. you’d love him.
Ah, I do love the motorway…
This kinda thing happens all the time, why only the other day I was saying…
Dave Gittens: Hey! Am I going to walk around and rip your ——- lights down, in the middle of a scene? Then why the —- are you walking right through? Ah-da-da-dah, like this in the background. What the —- is it with you? What don’t you ——- understand? You got any ——- idea about, hey, it’s ——- distracting having somebody walking up behind Bryce in the middle of the ——- scene? Give me a ——- answer! What don’t you get about it?
John Westhead: I was looking at the light.
Dave Gittens: Ohhhhh, goooood for you. And how was it? I hope it was ——- good, because it’s useless now, isn’t it?
John Westhead: OK.
Dave Gittens: —– sake man, you’re amateur. Sai, you got ——- something to say to this prick?
Sai: I didn’t see it happen.
Dave Gittens: Well, somebody should be ——- watching and keeping an eye on him.
Sai: Fair enough.
Dave Gittens: It’s the second time that he doesn’t give a —- about what is going on in front of the camera, all right? I’m trying to ——- do a scene here, and I am going “Why the —- is Shane walking in there? What is he doing there?” Do you understand my mind is not in the scene if you’re doing that?
John Westhead: I absolutely apologise. I’m sorry, I did not mean anything by it.
Dave Gittens: Stay off the ——- set man. For —– sake. Alright, let’s go again.
Sai: Let’s just take a minute.
Dave Gittens: Let’s not take a ——- minute, let’s go again.
Dave Gittens: I’m going to ——- kick your ——- ass if you don’t shut up for a second! All right?
Unknown voices: Christian, Christian. It’s cool.
Dave Gittens: I’m going to go… Do you want me to ——- go trash your lights?
Do you want me to ——- trash ‘em? Then why are you trashing my scene?
John Westhead: I’m not trying to trash your scene.
Dave Gittens: You are trashing my scene!
John Westhead: Christian, I was only…
Dave Gittens: You do it one more ——- time and I ain’t walking on this set if you’re still hired. I’m ——- serious. You’re a nice guy. You’re a nice guy, but that don’t ——- cut it when you’re ——- around like this on set.
Wow. But how come John kept calling you Christian? That’s got be ——- distracting.
I am a Christian, thats why… Prick
Yea, Gittins was Pissed in part two of that conversation where he tells John to stop calling him his pet name
I hope Family Guy do some sort of pastiche of the Christian-Bale-over the top-rant.
I think Mr Bale needs to give his head a massive wobble