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February 4th, 2009
12:35 PM ET
On-set turmoil nothing newYou didn’t want to get Otto Preminger upset. The director of “Anatomy of a Murder” and “Exodus” was famous -– or infamous -– for his rages, which he would aim at any actor he didn’t think was doing a good job. Some gave as good as they got, letting a Preminger tirade wash over like a summer squall, but others, notably Jean Seberg, were left quivering by his vicious attacks. It’s no wonder that, as an actor, the bald, Vienna-born Preminger was often cast as a military officer (as in “Stalag 17,” in which he played the prison-camp commandant) or flat-out villain (Mr. Freeze in TV’s “Batman”). “I do not welcome advice from actors,” he once said. “They are here to act.” Actors haven’t always been prizes, either. Marlon Brando could be notoriously petulant if things weren’t going his way. Directors put up with it because he was just as often brilliant. Such is occasionally the state of play between directors, the autocrats of the movie set, and actors, the talent the film is built upon, with crew members -– script supervisors, key grips and sundry assistants -– often caught in the middle. What’s notable about Christian Bale’s blow-up at “Terminator Salvation’s” director of photography, Shane Hurlbut, isn’t that it happened; any number of Hollywood insiders can tell, and have told, similar stories. (Listen to Bale's meltdown) It’s that it became public. Even Bale’s fit is the subject of contention. Based on the audio tape, the actor sounds like a hotheaded egotist, venting at Hurlbut beyond all reason for interfering with a scene. And yes, there are also those anger-management issues. But according to a report on Ain’t It Cool News, Hurlbut is a “light tweaker,” constantly playing with the scene’s illumination, and got in the way of a key scene between Bale and co-star Bryce Dallas Howard. This is not to excuse either man’s behavior. But business -– particularly businesses such as movies, television and music, where “creative differences” are a regular occurrence -– can be full of ugly scenes. You probably have experienced a “screamer” at your office, too. Interestingly, CNN’s Douglas Hyde talked to several directors (and actor Josh Brolin) about the old image of the director-as-jerk. All of them said it’s not that way anymore. It would be interesting to know how often blow-ups happen nowadays. - Todd Leopold, CNN.com Entertainment Producer |
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Honestly, who hasn't went off on someone, or even threatened them. Everyone has had a moment like that at least once in their lives, and I imagine a high-stress situation like shooting a movie would put everyone on edge. This shouldn't even have been released to the media as it's nothing but more fodder released by his "abused family" to try and drag the public opinion of him into the dirt. There are several celebrities who go way past Mr. Bale in terms of temper, and even more when it comes to having all of their needs met on a consistent basis. I mean seriously, let's send angry letters to Russel Crowe and leave Christian Bale alone.
I agree with a lady I heard on the news. I WOULDN'T SPEND ONR RED CENT ON A MOVIE CHRISTIAN BALE EVER DOES AGAIN. NO FORGIVE AND FORGET! THOSE ARE HIS TRUE COLORS. THAT BEHAVIOR IS UNFORGIVABLE. How could you ever treat another human being like that!!!!!! His so called apology stinks. It is so apparant all he seems concerned about is the almighty dollar at the box office. WHAT AN EGOMANIAC!
As far as Michael Phelps yeah he made a mistake. Haven't most of us??? Even the president had his time when he experimented some. Give him a break! HIS WHOLE LIFE HAS BEEN FOCUSED AROUND PERFECTION AND AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED .....WOW WHAT A BIG DEAL. I'M SURE HE'LL REDEEM HIMSELF AGAIN AND AGAIN WITH THE CHILDREN THQT LOOK UP TO HIM.
So he got upset, so what? where's the news plizz on the economy coz i need a bail out. i figure this bale guy doesn't need one if he has such a role in a movie
The real culprits here are 1) the sound mixer, for not turning the pot on Bale's mic down when the scene was cut, and B) the producers for making the tape public. This does not excuse his tirade – or the DP's intrusion into the scene (both men were wrong) but what happens on the set stays on the set unless someone is physically injured. Bale was set up and that's the story that people are missing.
there are a few youtube remixes of Bale's tantrum that are ridiculously ****ing funny
Wow, a whiny, self-important actor who bullies people around. What a shock.
Funny that it keeps getting reported that this was an "intense and emotional scene." Did it occur to anyone that this is a Terminator movie? Not exactly Raging Bull in terms of artistic depth.
You know what......leave it alone!! Everybody gets mad and goes off. And acting is very frustrating sometimes. You could be doing the scene the best that you've ever done it, and someone screws it up. So you have to do it again. You can't just get that energy and moment back at the drop of a hat. And if it's something that kept happening, I can completely understand why he got mad. I just think people are making too big of a deal out of this.
I can't believe how many people are saying he's not that great of an actor. Have you seen American Psycho? He blew me away in that movie. He was so scary and funny at the same time. It was brilliant. Meanwhile Brad Pitt, who is mediocre at best, cheated on his wife and no one bats an eye. Bale is a much better actor and he got mad. I've been mad and overreacted before. Who cares? If a camera-mugging pretty boy like Brad Pitt gets to be "Hollywood Royalty" after cheating on his wife, then this REAL ACTOR should be left alone.
First, I think he's whinny, Secondly, still a great actor, Thirdly, if anyone would have blown up at me like that, Christian Bale, or anyone else, I would have kicked his A**!
You keep quiet on set, regardless of job title. Bale is a method actor, like D. Lewis and it takes a serious amount of work to get to the level they require for the scene.
The DOP should have had more respect for the actor and lit the set correctly from the go or called it to the Director's attention for the scene to be stopped.
Until that scene is stopped, the actors are in control.
To those who defend Christian Bale's tirade: ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? This guy has NO right to go around talking to people like this, no matter what the situaion! I cannot believe people think this is ok. First of all, he is an actor filming a movie, not a brain surgeon preforming delicate surgery. Second, was it really necessary to curse that much for so long? Couldn't he still make his point without acting like some self absorbed spoiled child? The poor guy on the receiving end of Bale's immature rant wasn't even being combative. He was very passive and completely handled this a lot better than most people might have. This is America, and you just don't walk around disrespecting people like this, especially someone who is suppose to exhibit a little more professionalism. Just because Bale is paid millions for his mediocre acting, this does not make him special. He needs to get off his high horse and march his but straight to therapy or anger management. This makes me sick to my stomach and never will I watch another one of his films! And for those who defend him, ask yourselves how you would enjoy Bale shouting at you like that. No, we should not forgive and forget! Let him suffer his consequences.
The economy in ruins, political corruption, foreclosures stacking up higher then a shortstack at IHOP. So Christian Bale lost his temper? Big deal.
Lets focus on real issues.
Have some warm milk Christian, go for a walk, and continue on.
PS: I can't wait for your movies. You're still an EXCELLENT Actor! 😉
Bale is a great actor and Hurlbut a great DP. These things happen. But I do think Bale is a hothead who apparently beat up his mother and sister. No excuse for that. Glad I ain't in the film business. Lotta work for small pay.
The DP was unprofessional. So was Mr. Bale. If there was an issue with the DP's actions that was not being addressed by his boss–the director–Mr. Bale could have brought it up without the threatening tirade. "Diva" and "ego" only begin to describe his behavior. "Jackassery" is a bit closer. Being upset is understandable, but humiliating another person for several minutes–especially when that person is apologizing to him–is completely inappropriate. If Mr. Bale really wanted the DP to change his behavior, he could have accepted the DP's apology and told him what needed to change (would have taken less than one minute and saved thousands in delays). After several minutes of rantings, it seems clear that Mr. Bale was just enjoying the rage and hearing himself yell. He's an excellent actor, but at the end of the day, he appears to be an ass.
I am crew worker on Movies and Television sets, have seen this many times and have had been on the receiving end of it. I get it more from directors, and DP's (director of photography) than any actor. The industry has changed very very much and directors and DP's do not respect actors and other crew members like the older days.
Everyone on the set knows that if it's intense acting scene work silently, do not to disturb the actors, or be in their "eye line". This DP was in Bale's eyeline and kept tweaking during the take. He felt that since he was a DP on a huge blockbuster that rules don't apply to him. Mr. Bale was completely and definitely in the right for calling him about it. This also wasn't the first time that the DP got into his way and distracted Mr. Bale. While I don't agree with the HUGE rant that Mr. Bale went on I can definitely see where he is coming from.
What I find very interesting about this whole unnewsworthy subject is that it's publicity produced by warner bros. for the movie.
I am with Bale on this one. That guy was ignorant to keep interrupting while someone is working hard. He was even defending himself at first for walking past during the shoot of a intense movie; that is just ridiculous. He doesn't need to be forgiven because there is nothing to forgive. That guy disserved it, and I bet a lot of people out there wouldn't feel as if they were at fault if they went off on some fool that destroyed something they were working on TWICE. Thumbs up to Bale on this one.
Being an actor is not a stressful job. A police officer is a stressful job. A firefighter is a stressful job. A 911 Dispatcher is a stressful job. If anyone in those professions lost their cool like Christian Bale did, they would most likely be terminated & possible court action could follow. Actors make an exhorbitant amount of money for what they do. Ask any of them to answer 911 calls where a woman is screaming on the other end that her baby isn't breathing, or a wife has just returned home to find her husband has blown his head off & none of them would be able to handle that stress. Grow up & act like an adult & everyone else needs to stop making excuses for him. Stressful job my butt........
Anyone who says this sort of thing would never happen in another profession hasn't been in a really tense situation at work. I know things like this have happened in all sorts of other professions, from medicine to construction. Yes, it's just acting, but to someone like Bale, it's art and it requires a lot of emotion and work to get to where he apparently was in that scene. People who've been on sets know that walking around during filming is bad, but in the line of sight of an actor? Damning. Bale has a megamillion movie on his back. He probably should have backed down after a while, sure, but who knows what else happened? Way to spit at a long acting career after a four-minute tirade – hardly that weird for Hollywood – got released under mysterious circumstances.
if you're the lead character of a movie ("Dark Knight") that made hundreds of millions of dollars, one can be a prick sometimes. should he exercise some self control? of course. was his tirade a big deal? no at all. this just made a dramatic story on a hollywood set with a hollywood star. this happens all the time.
what happens on the set, should stay on the set. the culprit here is the person who taped the diatribe. i wouldn't have liked to have been on the receiving end of that – but i consider the stage and the set like vegas. it should have stayed in vegas.
Only an Actor could carry on like that in the workplace.
Makes great conversation material tho...
Imagine this exchange across the cubicles!!
hehe
While, Mr Bale may have a right to be upset and the DP should probably be fired, Bale doesn't have a right to threaten to "come over there" and physically assault the guy. In any other situation in nearly any other industry such a threat would get you in bug trouble. Listening closely to the audio, it sounds as if Christian Bale even starts to charge there before we hear voices asking him to take it easy. That's unacceptable.
Heck, I work with media and there are screw ups all the time (repeatedly) that make me extremely angry. However, if I physically threaten the person making those mistakes, I can pretty much guarantee that I'd be fired.
He needs to get over himself. As an actor, you must realize you are just as important as your key grip or the craft service employee who set up your food so you don't have to go looking for your nutrition. Nobody deserves to be yelled at and treated that way.
I used to be a BIG Chris Bale fan. Now I'm quite over him. You are an actor. Not a teacher nor a police officer. True working heroes. He accidentally messed up your "emoting." Do it again with grace. Suck it up until its time to give constructive criticism and be thankful you have a job, unlike the millions of us who would gratefully work at a fast food chain to put food on the table for our children working for tens of dollars instead of millions.
I like to see him go work in Chicago theatre. They'd set him straight. Some one needs to learn a little humility.
Not a chance I'll pay $10 bucks to see him on screen anymore. Even if I had it.
I wonder how much Hurlbut is getting paid to trot out this mess. This reminds me of some sick new form of paparazzi staging. This audiotape should have been kept on the set, where it belonged.
@Dan
Unless you were attached to his hip, how do you know he didn't apologize?
Oh my gosh, who cares?!
I agree with this article in.....the more curious thing about this is that it was released in the first place. It was something that happened in July and that was reported on. Since then, the film has wrapped and all the parties have made nice and what have you....and suddenly this tape is released. Some one obviously got a pay day from this. I'm not saying that Christian Bale didn't blow his top and that the lighting guy wasn't in the wrong, more than I'm saying that I think because there is so little said and known about Christian Bale, that every piece of negativity about him is blown up times 10! I mean, outside of his playing Batman, most people aside from many of the arthouse folk have paid attention to Mr. Bale....suddenly, everyone cares what he says from his mouth. No one is saying he's innocent, but how did this tape get released so many months after the actual event.
oh, and I think he should keep his mouth shut about it. It happened in July, it's said that he apologized to the person that it happened with, and that is between the both of them. None of us were there, and there is nothing but this ranting audio tape for us to make anything of. I'm not going to pretend to have it sorted out the way so many here and in the online universe seem to believe they have.
You know what? I don't think that what Christian Bale did is any worse than a lot of other actors. Perhaps he was having a bad day. Maybe he was hungry and/or tired. I'm so sure that NO ONE has EVER told anyone off before. Also, from the information I gathered, this was not the first time during the filming that the photography director did this. Yes, maybe he could have toned it down a little bit, but it can be hard to get back into that zone of thinking and feeling a scene after you've been disrupted numerous times.
And hey, if you could tell someone what you really think of them or their actions, wouldn't you want to?
Who gives a crap, There's not one of you out there who hasn't gone off on a friend or coworker or stranger for that matter. And many times we say and do things that you don't mean in the heat of the moment. If I had a buck for everytime I said I wanted to kick someones ass I'd be set.Give it a rest. Until you can prove to God or anyone else that your so in control and never lose your temper get off his back.
This guy is unbelievable! Seriously, he is so damaged by the light man that he has to tear him down. I feel sorry for the character of men in the country, today. I don't even care about another terminator movie. Not when millions of jobs are being lost and bloated government spending threatens our very collapse.
Michelle Garrett – before you tell us there's no reason to beat up your mother, allow me to point out that every day across the US, children are victimized by their controlling, psychotic, abusive mothers. I remember the day I was too big and strong for my mother to mercilessly beat on. She tried, and I in turn gave her a thrashing. She never laid a hand on me again. Yes, my naive dear, there are always reasons to 'beat some one up,' and sometimes they are pretty damn good reasons.
Unprofessional? Yes
Issuing threats of violence ok? No
Pedantic? Certainly
Will Hurlbut do it again? Not on Bale's watch.
Interesting analogies. Just wondering, for those of you who seem to think that CB needs therapy and/or he was/is a "loser" and extremely unprofessional for this over-processed blow-up by the media.....I'm just curious...do any of you possibly have any degrees? Or maybe, you may have been on the actual set and were standing right beside the two of them?
I take neither side. I was not there, all I hear is an audio tape that is over six months old that was mysteriously taped, not to mention you can hear CB really good, but the DP you can not, and it also cuts off right after the rant. By the way, if you want to, and you probably don't because at this point you just want to crucify Bale because it's easy to do right now, it's the growing trend everyone's doing it, listen to the audio tape again. The reason CB goes on as long as he does, is because the DP is egging/mouthing him on. I'm just saying. CB probably has apologized to this guy, not that it is any of our business. If it was such a big deal, the tape would have been aired back when it actually happened. Just someone trying to start some mess, and surprise, surprise...it worked!! We all took the bait!
So somebody broke a golden rule on set.....a three-minute f-bomb laden tirade was obviously not the best way to deal with the situation. Bale has turned me off enough by his behavior to avoid watching more of his movies. It's hard to get past the man inside the role. And....I didn't even know he wasn't an American until I heard bits of his comments on the radio, so no, he didn't maintain his American accent.
Frankly, some people take pleasure at messing with other people's work.
In my field (computer technology) there are times I am under such huge stress that the only way to think clearly is total silence.
Under such intense situations, I am lucky to get cover; my boss will make it clear that no one call, page or stop by my desk to chat or ask questions. He understands how critical it is to concentrate and is a huge help.
Where Mr. Bale is concerned; I can't say he did or did not do the right thing. His actions are his problem and should be looked at according to the situation at hand. The lighting person should have known not to mess around at certain times as it causes a distraction.
Have you ever been under extreme stress and ask someone to give you a break; yet they keep pestering you? I have, and at those times a 2X4 should be used to teach that person a lesson. A simple explanation should do the trick; I am very busy and I need to concentrate; please come back later. If that does not work, that person is in need of redemption by a 2X4.
i feel bad for those of you who are now vowing to boycott Bale movies. You're gonna miss future Batmans. very sad.
@micheal sherman
i'll give the excerpt another listen later. but my contention that he reacted predictably as a method actor would stands. as a matter of fact i did see the dark knight for christian bale as well as the fact that it took it's influences from frank miller's vision of the character and i treated some friends on another two occasions. so i'll submit that you are wrong instead of considering myself a "nobody"
@michelle garrett
the police did not lay charges in that case as that they found no grounds for it. estranged family members filing complaints after being refused money sounds pretty suspicious to me in any case. suffice to say it's a private matter that i really consider none of my business anyway.
re: the economics of a 4 min rant? one must consider how many takes were lost due to the distractions and how many more would have been lost during the course of the production. the director let it go on far too long he should of stepped in before this came to a head. like it or not sometimes being responsible and a leader means you have to be a bad guy and as the lead actor with much of the outcome being laid on his shoulders he has a right to express himself.
What someone should be asking is why and how did this become public? Someone clearly wanted to do harm to Bale's career. This should not have been made public and someone should investigate who did it and how much they got paid. (not trying to excuse Bale's behaviour but really...).
You don't walk around in your actors' sight lines tweaking and fiddling with the lights. EVERY DP in the business knows this!
Mr. Bale was justified.
Bale is perfectly justified to blow his cool. Afterall, he's being paid the big bucks to act while the crew gets rate to make everything happen. Just remember who the big dog on the set is and everything will be fine.
i am really dissapointed with bale's attitude, he is a professional and should act like one? could have talked to the guy personally instead he went bananas and started using foul languages, that shows that he has no class, very dissapointed........................no human beings should be treated that way!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Many of these comments make me laugh. As a "professional" actor taking his work seriously, Bale certainly had the right to dump on the lighting guy (a fellow industry professional) for his unintentional disruption. What seems to escape peoples' senses is the notion that Bale's behaviour was WAY over the top...and WAY over the line. He sounds like a crazed lunatic who can't control himself. This, in my estimation, wasn't a "normal" response from a "normal" person.
Put a cap on what actors make for movies and watch the budgets go down to the point where movies are affordable to watch. People will go to see MORE movies and perhaps Hollywood will convert from how much money can we make? to what kind of art can we create?
I could care less about what person disrupted any scene, but for the sake of arguing over such pointless news, I agree with Christian. The guy is there to work lighting and Christian is there to act. When one of those doesn't happen then the whole thing stops working. Kind of like people who are used to living in a home, but then the home is taken. That is perhaps a better subject to talk about. If as many people who blog on the mundane and pointless would actually give thought to real problems then perhaps this world would make a little more sense. Yet here we are talking about this, so by reading my comment you just wasted a minute of your day...
Thanks Light Guy
Hmmm. Seems Christian needs the advise of Michael Phelps.
If the scene was "spoiled" by the cinematographer, Mr. Bale should have had words with the director. HIs tirade is way out of line. Even after he's apologized to, he repeats the same rant. And the continual use of the 'F' word, and his personal threats are totally out of order. In any other workplace, he could have been arrested.
From what I've seen the cinematographer has had more motion picture experience than the director. So, perhaps he had the director's permission to do what was irking Mr. Bale. That's just an assumption, but either way, the director should have stepped in and stopped this. It doesn't matter if Mr. Bale has the weight of the world on his shoulders, or that the movie's gross all depends on him. Those reasons are totally false and absurd.
Not a big deal. Everybody blows up now and then, especially when it's in a private setting. This one leaked out, that's all. It doesn't mean that Christian Bale is some devil incarnate. He reaffirms with the camera guy that he's a nice person midway through the rant, which hints that Bale is in fact aware of his rant but still wants to make a strong point across. He expressed his disdain and let the guy know that he was apparently making the work more difficult than it needed to be. As for the severity of his tone and language, I would make the assumption that Bale was focused on the scene during that time, which amplified his anger during that particular moment. I'm sure he apologized afterwards when the day and/or work was finished.
Mr. Bale is a great actor and his movies are really good, but had this been me he yelled at like that I probably would have knocked him out for his own good.
Bale is obviously a child. I used to like watching the guy, even enjoying his portrayal of Batman ( despite the fact that he sounded as if his vocal cords had been brushed with sandpaper ). But after hearing the audio of his insane, narcissistic assault on some lowly crew member, he lost my purchase of a ticket to any new flick he puts out. That goes for the DVD sales too.
What a pig. Too many Hollywood yahoos are guilty of putting themselves up on some self-made pedestal, thinking that what they do actually contributes something to society.
Sorry guys.... Hate to break it to ya, but what ya do is the equivalent to a seal performing circus tricks.
wisdomlivesinsilence : LEARN TO SPELL FIRST, then post your dumbass comments.
And secondly, I have several DP friends and not one of them has ever walked during a scene.
Third, actors are not doctors, true, they are paid for their emotions, and I love Christian Bale even more for that funny tirade. I often wish I could go crazy like that at the office, but I would get fired.
Lucky him, he can curse all he wants, it's hilarious to me:)
He was venting. It happens, it wasn't on live TV or anything. It would have never been heard until someone decided that it was news.
Well, say what you like. I listened to the guy tear that fellow up in front of his coworkers without regard to his attempts to apologize. That has brought me to the simple conclusion that I don't like Christian Bale anymore, and I do not intend to watch any more of his movies.
WHO CARES !!!!!!
Don't we have plenty of other REAL things to spend our energies on ?
Get a grip people.
He's an idiot, plane and simple.
The attention on this matter sounds like a publicity stunt by this film crew. For crying out loud, this is the 4th feature length Terminator movie they're making. How else could they generate interest in a series that should have ended with Terminator 2?
Bob,
Fatherless households? I think a father would teach his son at an early age how to handle your "business" in private. There's no justification to rip someone to shreds in front of others.
With that said, I think this'll help Bale. Every now and then, we need to be on the outside looking in at ourselves to realize how our attitudes and behaviors affect others... and how others perceive us. His reputation could take a hit from this.
On a side note, I was a director on a low budget film and had a similar situation. I took control, pulled the actor to the side and quelled the situation immediately.
I can side with Bale to a point, because I understand the concentration it takes for an actor. But that was just out of control.
Two words: Who cares? It doesn't effect you or me.
Why should saying the f-word be bad?...People get angry sometime and he is no expectation....Maybe he had a lot of anger that was bent up in him and he just made a big deal out of this because of it...people should be allowed to say whatever they want to say...heck, its not like he was on national television when it happened....
Finally, I say SCREW being POLITICALLY CORRECT...say whatever u want when u want to...
@ jt
hear hear re: newsworthiness and putting more news focus on real issues
@ lbw
that's because you don't foot the bill. in an ordinary workplace, yes, you are right but this is not a regular workplace. much as what happens between sportsmen while competing would land then in jail for what they're paid millions to do. the producers hired a method actor and that's what he is and in this instance that's what they got. sure, sir lawrence olivier would never have acted in such a manner but a movie starring sir lawrence as john connor , mankinds last and only hope against the cyborgs would be a pretty crap movie i'd say.
@kt, twin cities
without getting into d.o. russell i will just say; george clooney as batman or christian bale as batman? only one of them felt the need to apologize for the film he headlined. which is not to say i don't like george clooney who dated an acquaintance of mine (a hot model/waitress quelle surprise). but the comparison is not germain to the topic. we are talking about an "on the job" issue. it's not easy to jump in and out of character, especially when you're from the "method" school.
I agree that this is much ado about nothing. that this became public is easily understood these days and bale is IT maybe more so than anyone in the past, in his industry. he is golden and somebody thought they would try to take a puny little swipe at him. personal preference or conduct is rarely considered before enjoying a song, read, or movie. the handful of people that walkaway from this actor's work for this, if consistent with their discriminatory choices, must surely have nothing left but to live in a closet, a sound proof closet and of course would NOT even know about it. silly stuff making headline news.
Yeah, Bale obviously isn't a stage-trained actor....because if he were he could cope with something like that and appreciate another artist (the DP). Hollywood shoot give itself a make-over and start grabbing theatre trained folks and get some talent again.
Most actors are jerks and they think that because they're "artists" and temperamental they can act any way they want. I can't believe that some people are defending or at least excusing this idiot. He's an idiot. Plain and simple. If I were that lighting guy, I would've told him to shove it and left. No one and I mean NO ONE deserves to be treated that way. Ridiculous. It says a lot about our society when someone's comment is "Who cares?". Well, because no one cares now I know why we're headed to hell in a handbasket.
Bad behavior is unprofessional and a sure sign of weak character. Anyone who can't or won't control their temper comes off as a moron.
I would never speak to a co-worker that way. Christian Bale now resides alongside Tom Cruise now in my "Won't Ever Go To Another Movie of Theirs" list Buh-bye.
The way I see it, Christian Bale had a "bad" day. I'm sure all of us have had days where we "lost" it. The different is Bale is famous and we are just normal people. Can you imagine a video or tape being made public of your worse moments? At the end of the day, we're human and we can't be perfect all the time. Bale is still a great actor and I'm still a fan.
oh, pleeeease. I've heard worse. Directors of Photography are notorious for holding up shoots and playing God on set (albeit, actors are just as guilty). I was a PA for years. Worst job EVER! You're constantly dealing with inflated personalities and jerks. Grips, electricians, and dps are the biggest bullies on set. I wish Bale had torn down their lights.
I can't tell you how many times I, as a PA, got yelled at by an actor or director because the grips wanted to throw a football between set-ups or an electrician needed to sneak off set while we were rolling to steal a donut from crafty. When the actors and director are working STAND STILL.
From what I've seen in the past, Bale is one of those crazy method actors who so ingrain themselves in the character and mood of the film that they're a bit schizoid. Makes for great performances, but also leads them to be a bit insane. Considering the type of intense film this Terminator one is, the tirade is probably very much fitting in with Bale's character. My question is, where's the film's director in all this? He's supposed to be managing the set, making sure things go right and run smoothly.
Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems that this may have happened around the time of Heath Ledger's death. Mix that with the pressure of "The Dark Knight" being released without his friend being there to enjoy the accolades of his brilliant performance, might have had a slight negative effect on him that day. I'm just sayin.............
You can't always reshoot and get the same take. Tensions are high and money is literally burning. An hour can cost thousands. So scream already!
Regarding Christian Bale and his yelling on the set of Terminator Salvation..I was there, I worked as one of his "Resistance Fighters" from April until we wrapped at the end of August. He is a very professional, kind, hard working actor. Put your self in a leather jacket, 100*F,New Mexico , 16 hour days, we had to stop shooting at least 5 times because storms kept coming is while we were on the tarmac at the Air Force Base that day. When he was not on "first unit " , he was on 2nd unit set....and then pressure from his family asking for more money! He worked from 0600hrs to 0300 the next day..I worked it too..then he took a 12 hour flight to London for Batman premiere...WE all were exhausted...give Bale a Break! This will be a fantastic movie.=================================
I witnessed Burt Reynolds having a Director Tirade when he was directing an episode of The New WKRP in Cincinnati that guest starred Loni Anderson, Robert Goulet & Charles Nelson Reilly. I also witnessed Stallone in Rocky V. Neither of whihc were towards me in any way. It's very common. More so then people will admit for fear of never working again.
Honestly if Christian Bale humiliated me in public, I'd likely take him up on the offer to see if he COULD kick my ass.
The Director of Photography was wrong. Christian could have handled it better. I have no problem accepting consequences for poor judgement. But I wasn't afraid to stand in-between Burt and our Associate Producer, nor was I afraid of Stallone.
If you're in the wrong, take responsibility for it, but don't allow anyone to humiliate you.
Just like the situation here in America, Either Stand Up and be accounted for your actions, and Say NO to tyranny, or be a slave. That decision is entirely up to the individual.
As a film major in college, and having worked on several small projects with different directors, one thing that has always stuck with me is that when the director yells ACTION, you better be still and be quiet because time is money and you dont want someone to go off on you for screwing anything up. I think that Mr. Bale was justified in getting upset with the DP, who to have gotten a job on such a huge movie, he really should have known better, and one of the things that he yelled sounds to me like this isnt the first occurrence on this film where Shane had interfered and I think that Christian reached his breaking point that day and just let the obscenities fly. Having said that, I dont think that it may have been neccessary for ALL of the yelling and the cursing. I think that there is a happy medium in getting mad and being able to keep it together and still get your point across without screaming the F bomb 40 times in 4 minutes. I dont like making excuses for people, but as a HUGE Christian Bale fan I can see why he got so upset. I think that the publicity surrounding this will teach him a big lesson.
Now, I just want to be crystal clear on this.
Isn't he the acator from Dark Knight?
Ok, do you guys have a memory loss? This is the same man that literally beat up his mom and sister.
C'mon now, something is seriously wrong with this guy.
There is no reason to beat up your own mother.
I've worked in film/TV lighting for over 10 years, first in the independent world, and over a decade in the union (i.e. bigger budget) world. A DP (director of photography)examining the lighting while the actor is doing an actual take, not a rehearsal is normal. Actors don't always hit their marks, lights can be jostled or moved just before the cameras roll, and DP's are always looking for ways to improve the look of the film for subsequent takes.
On the other hand, all crew members know to clear the eyeline of the actor (most importantly, not making eye contact during the shot), and preferably (but not necessarily) not being where the actor can see them.
The DP is basically exempt from the second part of this rule, because for him or her to make a decision about what to do to improve take 2, it involves seeing what it wrong with the shot as it happens. That is not something they can necessarily figure out from watching the monitors at video village.
I don't know whether Bale is one of those extra-flighty actors who needs to be managed like a child when it comes to distractions. Or if the DP in question had prior incidents of not being discrete enough during other shots, and was irritating Bale on a daily basis. Or if Bale is usually a professional, but was having a bad day. (see lawsuit from his own mother and sister against Bale during the same month).
Unfortunately, unlike most business environments, people in positions of authority in the film business, in front of or behind the camera, can get away with behaving like spoiled children if the product they create makes money. There is very little oversight on tantrum excesses. Fortunately it is rare, but the Pytka's, Mann's and Beys of the world still get to work on a regular basis.
Johnny Eh, Now you think you have a solution for all the world problem. If so, you wouldn't even be opening this news.
Itsn't there a show currently on TV called "Hell's Kitchen" where Gordon Ramsey does the same thing week after week. What's the difference?
everyone keeps likening this incident to someone blowing up at the office. This is not your typical office job, this is a multi million dollar movie set. The dynamics are clearly going to be different here than they are where you and I work. Unless you work in this environment, you have no reason to pretend you understand what its like. Sitting in a cubicle all day is different than this.
My Two Cents – if you call that an American accent you are dead wrong. Furthermore, he cost thousands of dollars by wasting all that time. Who knows how many people were on hand waiting for production to start up again. He's whiny and isn't even brilliant. He doesn't even bring in any money to a movie. People sure didn't see The Dark Knight for him.
This is what McG SHOULD have said.
MCG
"Guys, one can always re-take the take. It's no big deal. But Bale, you're out of line, apologize! And you, Shane, stay in your freakin' seat.
Places everybody. Ok. Lets go again! "
The man is passionate about his work. Is that so wrong?
Give him credit for fuming about his actual craft, instead of about the quality of the coffee or cold cuts in his trailer. (For examples of the latter, read up on Klaus Kinski.)
What is wrong with you people? People get mad all the time this doesn't mean they need anger classes. If some people were not so stupid then other people would not have a reason to get mad.
The responses on this blog are perfect examples of a weak society resulting from fatherless households.
Frankly, Bale is a coward. I welcome the opportunity for him to say that to me.
If the studio doesnt put him in his place, I certainly could. Bring it on Bale!
I don't care who is footing the bill. The majority of people on the job would be fired for such behavior. As someone said before, it's not like they are curing cancer. Exaclty how much education does Bales have anyway? He acted like a brat. I for one am not impressed by this type of behavior. He had no right to do what he did.
I have been on many sound stages and have experienced a variety of explosions from cast and crew. Living Art is a very intense and demanding occupation and needs to have the right environment for everyones best efforts. Remember that it is ALL artificial and the concentration needed to transcend that, is paramount (not a pun).
Accountability-don't guess it exists for the likes of Bale, only for us lower-stratus snooks. Would be good if someone whould had the power, took the initiative and jerked his chain.
Not trying to dump on Mr. Bale, but he seems to have a proclivity for becoming unhinged. It only takes 1 time to cross the line-last individual I knew that acted like C.B on a regular basis crossed that line-actually shot and killed my aunt! Everyone always make excuses for him in the past, saying, "he's just that way-creative".
Anger management (or the lack of it) should be taken seriously. I would not be at all surprised to find Mr. Bale in serious trouble some time in the future due to his own lack of restraint-and the fact that no one ever held him accountable for his own actions.
Why is this even important? Because its Christian Bale?
This happens all the time. Yes, Virginia, there are rude insecure people who think that by screaming, they prove that they are better than anyone else or maybe they just have issues.
Lets move on to more important questions like: When will America start paying more attention (and money) to nurses, teachers, firemen and policemen instead of actors...
Everybody has a bad day and yells! What's the big deal? The only thing that makes this different is he's famous and has no privacy!
this is how i see it. this is a multi-million dollar project and a billion dollar franchise. from all reports it is a pivotal scene for the movie where all is dependent on on mr.bale to convince the audience of the authenticity of his character, the leader of the worlds human resistance underground in it's war for survival against cyborg overlords (oh, yeah mr.bale has a cushy job, riiiight) and some minor league salary worker ruins what may have been THE take that may have taken days or even weeks to capture (months of filming to capture 90 mins of footage, do the math). face facts, the dp screwed up, all i take from this is that he didn't do his job, you adjust the lights before or after a take, not during. if anyone deserves criticism is the dp himself or mcg the director for not properly supervising the crew. if i were the producer i would hulred mr.hurlbut's butt off the set and out of the industry for costing myself and my investor's thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollar's in lost production costs depending on how long it took to get the shot correctly. apparently this dp has a habit of doing this as well so if his career survives this mr.bale did him a HUGE favor if he learns to correct his bad work habits.
as far as mr.bale's professionalism is concerned, he did not break character at all, note that he did not revert out of his american voice and reacted in a manner that would not be out of character for a military leader and refused to shut production down. this act alone saved the production many thousands of dollars. no, the only people acting in a non professional manner are the dp, the director who is responsible for everything that goes on on the set but most of all whatever moron in the sound department who leaked the clip. this isn't news it's muckraking gossip.
this is a business folks and it's not a bad thing that mr.bale takes his work seriously. every last one of those involved depend on today's success for tomorrow's paycheck and it seems that mr.bale understands this.
There's a neat little saying that Mr. Bale needs to mull over: 'Never pick a fight with someone who can't fight back'. It's a simple concept Mr. Bale. Real 'professionals' follow this everyday. You would never see Trump berate the doorman of a classy hotel. Obviously it's a no-win situation for the doorman and no matter what he did, or does at this point he can't win. You would never see a true martial artist pick a fight with a novice. It's the same here. You, as the prized and protected precious 'actor' should know who it's appropriate to talk to, as you know you have more power than anyone to end another professional's career. I don't care how deep into 'character' you throw yourself. You're not curing cancer. Act like it!
One thing to say – there would be no movie without the crew. Respect them.
I agree with Brian, "Who cares". It's the media's obsession, not mine. I thought when I watched CNN it was for the news of the day. This is not news. It's voyeurism. Stick to reporting events that matter. Or I'll stop watching.
well the person who leaked this is definitely relishing the attention this is getting although not deserved. this person is out to get Christian Bale no doubt about that. anywho, certainly not condoning Christian's actions. There is absolutely no excuse for that, however we all know EVERYBODY have days. Most people rave about what a great guy he is to work w/ & I think this is just a really bad day for him. I heard this particular scene was very intense & getting there was really difficult. whoever leaked should be fired.
America gets the celbrities we deserve. We put these people in positions where they are admired, revered, fantasized about, and idolized without ever really knowing the person behind the role. We send them love letters, we make fan sites about them, and sometimes throw ourselves at their mercy hoping to be sexually exploited and demeaned by them. We give them preferential treatment, we put them on our lunch boxes, our computer's wallpaper, and on posters in our rooms. They are paid several millions of dollars to star in brainless, unintelligible, cliche tripe all because we declare so openly, unwaveringly, and mindlessly that we 'love them' and we show this by paying them more money than anyone truly deserves. The public inflates their egos to titanic proportions. Then, the very second our 'monster' acts up, we destroy them. We point out their most modest, natural, and human flaws. We ridicule them into oblivion for looking their age (both in skin tone and in weight). We boo them off stage and set. We spit black, vile hatred about them around the water cooler. We make them the subject of our most humiliating and degrading jokes. How shallow we are to so quickly abandon those we once worshiped. How selfish that we denounce their existence the second they show a shred of humanity. How convenient that we can so easily destroy the gods that we create. How sad that we do so without remorse or wisdom. How truly abhorable we are for being the underlying cause behind it all. The shambling, creeping, all-consuming public is as much of a monster as anyone in Hollywood.
Christian Bale s NO Otto Preminger. He is NO Marlon Brando, either. NOT EVEN CLOSE. So, he shouldn't even be mentioned in the same article!
He's an immature bully - can't wait until he mouths off to the wrong person!!!
To all those that thing this will hurt Christian Bale's status in hollywood... think again. He just came out of a top producing movie and he has a huge fan base. The terminator movie will be judged on it's script and presentation; not on if the main actor got mad on the set.
Hollywood is not stupid to drop such a money maker over this.
There is a time and place for everything. I'm not saying it's right to blow up and cuss someone out. At the same time, sometimes it is healthy to vent that frustration. Everyone in that room was an adult. Our society has gotten way too soft with the way we handle reactions by other people. We don't know what is going on in Christian's mind. We don't know the amount of hours these guys are pressing forward to get this movie done. We are always quick to point a finger at someone "blowing up"... because it's the easy thing to do. At the end of the day – who cares... don't therapistssay it's better to let it all out then keep it in? That's exactly what he was doing... unfortunately Mr. Hurlburt was the sound board to pent up frustration.
Bale did not need to react that way if it is truly about being professional. What this shows is a person with a deep emotional and psychological apprehension. I will not be bolt from the blue if he attacks somebody in the future. I gave him the benefit of doubt regarding the story about his family but this action of his just might have convinced me that indeed the story about the problem is true. If an actor put every emotion out there in a scene, then feels that a perfect performance was wasted that is not a justified reason for the way he handled the situation. I believe because it was made public that there is more to Bales conduct and that should concern all of us. I hope he goes and get help before he loses it.
Threatening violence is not acceptable. Sorry, but Bale's response was out of line. Sure the Hurlbut should not have been on the set, but Bale doesn't need to threaten him with violence.
I feel sorry for the guy on the receiving end of this rampage. He has no balls whatsoever. Anyone talks to me like that irregardless of how bad I screwed up their set and irregardless of who they are, is going to get the same or worse in return. It's also apparent that the director is afraid of losing Bale from the project. Also ball-less if you ask me. Put these actors in their places, let them know the true reason I'm going to see Terminator is not because of Bale, but because of the CGI and special effects and story. Grow a set people.
Anyone who has witnessed his embarassingly awkward voice work as the Batman, can attest that perhaps he should be the one tweeking the lights on movie sets. Being a lousy actor is one thing, but being a lousy person is how he will truly be judged.
There is no excuse for Bale's behavior... plain and simple he should be fired!
Your job is to play a make believe character. What a laughable jerk. It is NOT ok, and this is NOT normal behavior. Oh yeah, you were NOT the best actor in the Dark Knight. Get over it!
Completely unacceptable. If the roles were reversed on this everyone, and I mean EVERYONE who's heard about this knows that Shane would as they say 'never work in this town again'. But because it's 'Christian Bale' he not only gets a 'pass' but everyone acts like this isn't a real issue. If Bale had a gripe with this crew person's behavior, he should have taken it to the proper people. Ie., those that hired this crew member. To take it upon himself to berate and belittle this guy in front of everyone within earshot (and beyond) is totally unacceptable and would not have been tolerated anywhere else. And to ad insult to broken professional ego, he threatened to kicked the guys arse as we say, and lunged at him! (Some would call that 'assault' in the legal world, but oh yeah, this is Hollywood. Stars don't live by the same rules as we do in the real world.) And to other 'professionals' in the industry defending Bale's behavior, stop already you arse kissers! You know what's right and what's a no-no in 'our' industry. They'll still accept your resume for employment if you disagree with this outrage. So I have no compassion for poor Bale's 'distracted' ego. I hope I never end up in purgatory or I should say a Christian Bale film ever!
who cares if you have to re-shoot, you are getting paid millions of $$'s and you would think by this point in his acting career, Bale would know that this stuff happens. Instead of moving on, now he just delayed the reshoot another 3-minutes if the thought of having to re-shoot was bothering him. If he would have shut up, the re-shoot would have been over sooner.
Told my kids when they were little "loose your cool look like a fool" . Once again another fine example to drive the point home.
I live in Las Cruces, NM – I was working on that set as an extra. You all weren't there.
If an actor is in character, waiting for the Director to call "action" , you're doing the scene, and some one walks thru. What do you think is going to happen??
You lose focus, you're going to be PO'd. It's taken however long to understand the role, the charecter, the place in the movie, the emotion, etc., etc. It's frustrating, costly and it shouldn't happen. That's what, "quient on the set..." means. One thing, is that Hulrbut is alway doing something. He doesn't sit still.
While I understand Bale, and I agree...it was a bit, "Jim Carrey" – over the top. But quiet means quiet. But, imagine playing golf and someone yells in your backswing. You're pissed.
Eh. Everybody gets angry sometimes. I've seen alot worse. Its not like actors have the monopoly on bad behavior.
Bale needs anger management.ASAP.
He is worst than our troops suffering from Post Traumatic syndrome.
To the few that defend Bale you need serious counselling too.
The only reason Bale did what he did was because he was allowed to. I personally won't allow anyone to threaten or disrespect my staff even when they are wrong. And I won't work in any industry where this behavior is tolerated and then defended.
As a fellow actor, i feel his frustration. It's the worst thing in the world is to try to get yourself in a particular state of mind (into the character at that given point in the script) only to have it disrupted by some other member of the production because they were screwing around. Time is Money, and in this business – the last thing anybody wants to waste is money. That's why the professional thing for everybody to do on set is Shut up, and do your job. period. That way incidents like this won't happen.
And as for the manner in which he handled it. I can only say that the scene they were working on must have been a very intense one, because he never broke character (something i admire). And in a way he wasn't responding as Christian Bale, he was responding as John Conner. not many people will understand that, only real actors will.
Is he a good actor? Subjective! I find him OK at best. So, his rage seems unwarranted and sickening. WHo cares? There is an actor around every corner.
Please. This doesn't even remotely approach the greatness of the Lily Tomlin/David Russell confrontation. Now there was an argument. How Christian Bale (!) cussing out a bulb tweaker (!!) on the set of yet another Terminator sequel (!!!) is getting this much ink is beyond me.
If I treated another employee like that at my job, I would be immediately terminated and thrown out of the building. He should check himself into rehab. Obviously he has some sort of addiction problem to vent like that on another person and threaten physical violence at the same time. You could hear the poor man repeatedly telling him that he was sorry. Christian Bale is a very good actor, but he needs to get himself some professional help.
Has anyone seen and heard the rant from director David O. Russell of I Heart Huckabees. He completely loses it screaming and throwing things at Lily Tomlin, he calls her the "c" word and kicks a trash can at her. Now to me that is 20 times worse then the Christian Bale thing. And personally I think if you are trying to focus on your character and your lines and some moron continues to walk into your shot he should be screamed at.
You know, George Clooney is rumored to have punched David O. Russell, the director of Three Kings, for going off on a tirade against some extras. Extras. Just some nobodies trying to earn a living getting screamed at by their boss. Good for George Clooney. Boo on Christian Bale.
First of all, this wasn't an office setting, so I don't know why people are comparing the two. You might as well be comparing a football game to an office. Fights break out on football fields all of the time. It's not comparable. That being said, it sounds like Bale might have anger issues. Who knows for sure, because we weren't there and we don't know the nature of the relationship. Anyway, I don't go to his movies because he seems like a lovable guy. I go because I think he's a good actor and I buy what he's selling. No more, no less. They're adults. They can hash it out.
Excuse me – but what a prima-donna jerk.. Hey, I'm a computer programmyer, my job requires concentration too and my day is nothing BUT distractions. I'm expected to deal with it and do my job as well LIKE A PROFESSIONAL.
If I went off like that I wouldn't keep my job long. My respect for MR Bale has been going downhill for a long time and this pretty much ends it.
Coming from someone who used to work in the industry, I've seen this type of reaction from many a director, actor, even crew member. While I agree that the overall length of his tirade is a little disturbing (maybe he does have some anger management issues), any D.P. worth his salt should know better than to get into an actor's eye line during a take. That is really unprofessional and distracting. And if you knew of the "famous" actors and actresses who have had similar meltdowns on set, I'm sure this wouldn't be that big of a deal.
I just seems to me that Bale skipped kindergarten. Talented or no, there is absolutely no excuse for treating another human being with any less dignity than you would expect for yourself. Period.
Very childish on Bales part. First, if the guy has a history of screwing up scenes, then fire him...simple as that. What I'm really wondering is why the lighting guy stood around and took that verbal lashing in the first place. Someone (Director) should have stepped in to stop Bale or "Mr. Light Tweaker" should have stopped Bale himself!
@the AD - More likely McG did not interfere because he saw that Bale needed to shout out as catharsis.
Bale needed to vent, to clear his frustration so he could get back to the emotions that the scene needed. Better to vent than to let an out-of-character frustration simmer and ruin the performance. Film production tends to find extremes, whether it is uncontrollable giggle-fits or absolute anger. It is part and parcel of the business. Office norms do not apply.
It is the job of the Director to chew any one out and McG should have stepped up to his job and talked to the DP. I have heard that Tom Cruise got a DP fired for talking to him and adjusting some prop.
On set, only the Director should talk to the talent and every thing should go through him, in reverse.
Since McG did not interfere, it seems that he didn't have a problem with DP, or if he did, he would have brought it up on the side, outside the line of sight or sound of the crew.
But if an actor takes over the director's job, unless one is Brando, jobs have been crossed.
Set protocol is very important and getting fired is as easy as getting a cup of coffee. By the way, the DP would have been paid regardless, fired or not, it wouldn't have mattered.
The only person who has a legitimate right to scream and yell is the producer who is writing the $1,000,000 checks daily. He has god-like rights to scream his head off because he is paying for it, not the actors, the director or the DP.
Assistant Director
Many confuse the question of whether Bale had a right to be very angry, which he likely did, with whether that gives him license to scream obscenities at a person. Sadly, our society as a whole may be getting increasingly confused about this as well.
One thing that has always really bothered me is that many people in showbusiness think that artistry somehow carries with it a blanket exception to rules of common decency. I can understand arguments over creative differences. I even think there is value in those arguments. But verbally assaulting and belittling another person – a person who also has a job to do – because you take issue with their work? I'll never understand that, and I'll never understand people who thin that's "okay" because the assaulter is "brilliant", or a "genius". My dentist may be the greatest dentist in the world, but that doesn't mean I think it should be okay for him/her to belittle coworkers.
If someone isn't doing their job properly, they should be disciplined for it. People shouldn't be able to get away with sub-par work. Business is business. I get that. But that rule should also apply to common decency in the workplace. Finally, I don't buy the argument that Bale should be allowed to get away with that behaviour just because the box office stakes are high. This kind of behaviour should be allowable only in situations where there are truly high stakes – like when you're storming a hill in the middle of a war – not when you're filming a movie.
Another self-important hollywood jerk acting like an idiot. Bale can kiss my money goodbye – i don't pay to see overwealthy brats acting unprofessionally and physically threatening a minion. I'd have a restraining order issued for Bale. What a self-important jack-a$$.
I mean the guy is an Actor, not a brain surgeon. Brat, thy name is Bale.
An actor in a scene gets caught up in the emotion and energy of the scene he is working on and someone blows the scene that emotion and energy will get vented...it has to. I have worked on a film set before and EVERYBODY knows that you don't walk on to the set to do a last minute tweak of something while the scene is "in motion". Much too much is being made of this and it does strike me as both voyueristic and judgmental.
Wait, all this over a scene for Terminator Salvation? I hardly think it was going to be submitted for Oscar award contention. I think the look of this particular film will be more important than the performances. It's a popcorn action movie, not the place to demonstrate prowess in acting.
The truth is, Bale cracked at that particular moment and blew his top all over a man responsible for the look of the film. It is moments like this that get someone branded as "hard to work with" and can result in a career careening to oblivion (i.e., Val Kilmer). The man obviously has anger issues and his head has grown too large, as evidenced by the "either he goes or I go" mentality. Making movies is still a business, with coworkers, and you don't have to like each other to produce your product. You do, however, need to behave civilly toward one another.
At least Mr. Bale had enough control not to pop the guy one in the nose. I actually think his tirade is funny. He obviously doesn't know how to curse very well. He needs practice and a coach. I know some fifth graders that could help. Dear Mr. Bale please try varying your curse words and put them together in a continous string. This way you can create a more colorful picture and really offend the offender. The continous use of the F bomb was so boring it was just laughable you thin lipped pretenious p*SSy. I look forward to the sequel.
Professionals are supposed to take such issues to a private venue for discussion. If someone rubs you the wrong way, you don't dress him down in front of fellow workers. If Bale was that upset, he should have either stopped everything and took McG and the DP to a private meeting to hash out the issue; or, if he didn't want to delay filming that day, he could have made arrangements to do so after the business at hand was completed. Certainly there is decorum involved as well, and regardless of the cause some of the words - and the way the words were spoken - have no place in a professional conversation, regardless what the fault was.
Everyone keeps talking about how it's not the first time it has happened...that does NOT make it right.
Bale is not this guy's boss...he didn't have the right to speak to the man in such a belittling, humiliating way. It was not his place. He is not footing the bill for the production, he is not signing this guy's paycheck, etc....it was NOT HIS PLACE to blow up on this guy like this. IF the guy was continually messing up, then yes, he should have been reprimanded or whatever they do on movie sets, but in a CIVIL WAY. NOBODY deserves to be talked to the way Bale lashed out at this guy.
Everyone keeps saying how professional Bale is and how much he gets into and loves his work...that's fine, but he should be expected to act and treat others in a professional manner and either go to the director about the issue, or talk to the guy as a human being. Don't talk to him like a dog and make ulitmatums like a child (I'll walk off the set if he stays).
If I got angry at a co-worker at my employer and acted in such a manner, I would be escorted of the premises by a security officer and fired immediately, especially if I threatened physical assault as Bale did (kicking the guy's a$$).
Well, working with actors, I also know what it takes for them to reach the emotions that they need to in order to make a scene believable. Acting is not an easy craft. Actors have to reach inside themselves to tap an emotion and sometimes utilize experiences that are painful for them. Having someone tweak the shot while the action going on can break the actor's concentration and they may not be able to tap it again. What probably happened is that Bale went over the top because he was already agitated in character. People who don't know actors, think acting is just that...acting. It's not. It's very much being. You can tell the very talented ones who are able to "be" rather than "act."
If an actor of anything less than superstar caliber got in the way of the DP and grips by adjusting the lights themselves, he/she would be thrown off set.
Yet when Hurlbut interferes with a scene in-progress it's okay and Bale's overreacting? I don't think so.
We can bicker about the length of the tirade, but in my opinion (when all's said and done) this was a justified outburst. In listening to the whole thing I thought that Bale was suprisingly articulate given the frustration he was feeling, and like a previous reviewer said the attack was professional - not personal.
As for F-bombs, people just need to get over it... what year is it? What country are we in?
Glad it went public. I don't see temper tantrums as a reasonable way to communicate anything. Maybe it's time for people to re-evaluate their standards of acceptable public behavior. If a child threw such a fit in pre-school, what would happen? Why?
Why should if be different in the workplace, creative or otherwise? A genius who is a burden diminishes the efforts of all who might otherwise support them.
I find it funny that we're so amazed that a man on the set of a film is going to loose his cool. There is a ton of stress going on in any work situation, and in a film when you're the lead there is so much more to worry about. Here is a guy who has to keep his lines straight, keep his accent out of his words, keep to the script and put forward an intense performance as a character that is very iconic (John Conner). And then there's the work he has to put in with the other actor...
And there's a guy screwing with the lights. Can anyone say that they haven't had stress at work and not dealt with it right? But we have such a hunger to feed on the celebrity status of these guys in Hollywood that the media can't keep their eyes off their business, even when they're doing their job. So you catch them at a bad moment? Fly unzipped? Angry at a light-tweaking guy on the set? So what! The guy's doing his job. Unless you've never lost your temper, you cannot stand up and wag a finger at a talented actor under a ton of stress. In other words, get off his back folks. He's human.
A movie set is indeed a highly stressful environment and the lead actor is under alot of pressure to perform well since box office numbers are on the line. However, other high-stress jobs such as firefighters, doctors, police officers, soldiers etc also operate under intense pressure but you don't hear of a firefighter yelling at a victim just because a fire is really hot! There is something called human descency and restraint! If a doctor had a fight with his wife, does that give him the right to go into the operating room and let a patient die? No! Yes, we all have bad days but Bale's rant went on for four minutes! Excess anyone! I don't care how high-stressed or how good an actor he is. Common courtesy should always prevail over anger and high stress moments.
Hmmm, it would seem to me that no matter that Mr. Hurlbut caused a disruption treating other people like Mr Bale does wrong. Making excuses for a "play actor" is absurd, its a movie for Gods sake. In the world I work mistakes happen and can cost my company millions of dollars in the amount of time it took Mr. Bale to have his temper tantrum. His outburst did nothing to get the movie back on track, if he worked for me I would have fired him on the spot. He is a prima donna and a cry baby, and only a fair actor.
The media making a BIG deal out of nothing like they always do. Instead of doing research and trying to find fascinating and informative newsworthy stories, they resort to tabloid journalism, lazy journalism, sensationalizing everything to attract readers and interest. And then they beat a dead horse by showing the clip or audio over and over and over...when is it enough? Christian Bale's rant is so not newsworthy. It's OK if they reported on it once, but to make it this gigantic deal is so absurd.
I don't care if it's Christian Bale, Barack Obama, or a customer at McDonald's, no one has the right to disrespect anyone like Bale did, regardless of what the DP did. Bale is a complete jerk and I hope that stigma follows him for a long time.
Christian Bale better get signed up for Anger Mgt. Classes, and soon. he needs to learn to control himself, that's for sure. And act like a grown up, not a child.
What the hell is wrong with people? The world is in so much turmoil and the top stories are about actors who yell at co-workers and swimmers who try pot. What an uber-Christian, voyeuristic society of hypocrites America has turned into to care so much about so little, to expect so much from so many, while offering nothing in return but demands for punishment and apologies.
Being that Bale is a respected actor, he could have calmly let the DP know that he did indeed ruin an intense scene, and everyone on set would have bowed to his every whim. I work in the industry, and if an actor wants or doesn't want something, regardless of how he or she relates those wants, every crewmember is put on high alert to satisfy those needs. So rather than spewing 30-something f-bombs, he would have gotten what he wanted just by saying it calmly.
I think Bale didn't need to act like such a jerk, with his reactions to someone walking onto the set. So what? He could have been a little more mild about his comments and yelling and swearing!
Why do movie stars think they are "better and above " everyone else!
It's interesting that in Mr. Bale's tirade he shouted to Mr. Hulburt he was not being 'professional'. What does he think this word means anyway? His actions were far more unprofessional.
"When all’s said and done, I don’t have any real issues with Mr. Bale’s reaction."
He's a grown man, supposedly a professional, who is getting paid millions to essentially play pretend for a few months.
There's no excuse for that kind of blow up.
I worked in the film industry for many years as a costumer and found that many directors, (funny all I can remember are males doing this) act like molly coddled spoiled little brats. I have seen a director stomp around, throw things, his face getting redder and redder until I thought his head would burst. I've seen and heard a director swearing up a storm at an actor and making him so upset he couldn't remember his lines. There is absolutely no reason to yell and swear at someone. It adds no value and, in my opinion, is a form of abuse. Everyone makes a mistake and sometimes an actor is not "on" and all the tirades do is upset the entire film crew and make for a very unpleasant environment.
An actor who has put every emotion out there in a complex scene, then feels that a perfect performance was wasted will not be happy. Bale wraps himself into these characters so much, that he is becoming John Conner, and directly following a cut scene that is fueled with so much intensity, the rant unfolds while still in the heat of the moment. Sure, if he had counted to 10 and walked over to the director to express calmly his issue, it may have been more professional. But, that did not happen. Nor would the director of photography been made aware of the problem in such dynamic certainty. The movie gross ($$) is riding on Bale selling the plot. Once a scene is in play, you don't make unexpected changes (to lighting or special effects). This is a matter of ego, but creative minds don't always agree. This is nothing new.
As somebody who has done a number of different jobs on different sets, I can tell you that what this DP Hurlbut was doing was unprofessional and just costing the production money since Bale had to cut and go off on him. Apparently, Bale had already warned him a few times previously, so if a bout of verbal torture got the guy finally doing his job right, then so be it.
Actually, if someone screamed like that in my office, they would most certainly be immediately terminated, and most likely would be led away in handcuffs. In today's culture of school/office shooters and people "going postal", there is no margin for error with hot-heads and kooks. Excusing Hollywood because of their creative people is a cop-out. This behavior is indicative of someone with an IMMENSE ego and serious anger management issues, whatever their profession.
I have heard a number of people defending Christian Bale's actions, on the presumption that actors need complete silence in order to do their jobs and save the production company money; this is garbage. There are a number of problems with this logic. If this man was acting inappropriately, then his boss, the director, should have been the one to deal with him. Name another job where it would be acceptable for one employee to do this to another, in any circumstances. If you listen, even the director is afraid to stop Bale, while he belittles this man into the ground, and even threatens him physically. People can rationalize Bale's pathetic outburst, but he is just another Paris Hilton that feels that they are justified to do whatever they want. I no longer find it shocking that he was accused of assaulting his mother and sister. When did money become a suitable replacement for class?
A. Witman
San Diego, CA.
I've never heard of Christian Bale but I'd like to remind him he's not curing cancer. He's playing dress up and getting paid a ludicrous amount of money to do it. Can everybody please stop glorifying this industry and the people in it? And for anybody who talks about this being an art, I agree. Some movies are true art. I love movies. This is the Terminator. Not art. You must be a special king of self-important jerk to talk to other human beings like this. Get some humility and a reality check Mr. Bale.
Bale is a consumate professional and dedicated to his craft.
So what, he swore. BIG DEAL. Haven't you wanted to go off on
your boss like that before? And you know what – he can, because
he is a highly respected and revered actor that brings in the big
bucks to Hollywood. We have become so judgemental and
voyeuristic in trying to crucify the nearest person for so much as
a raised voice, because all to often, we have been brow-beaten
by this politically-correct-left-wing reasoning in which no one
should ever get angry or express heated emotion. Remember
Mr. Baldwin's phone message? Yes, nasty at times, but his
personal life, which at the time was going through a very bitter
and public divorce, is no ones business and we should not pass
judgement so quickly. Bale may have possibly over-reacted, or
maybe not. What if this Director-of-Photography had made many
issues before and this was the final straw for Bale. Unless we
worked on that set, that day, we won't know really how this all
came to a head.
I have seen my fair share of intense moments which really gets to someone and I could understand Bale's outburst to a certain degree. No matter what, no one deserves to be treated like that. If you listen clearly, the poor photographer was heard saying sorry multiple times while Bale continoulsy threatened and screamed at him. This, is the limit to bullying. All I hear is an egotistic person who thinks he is too much of a star to be districated. Maybe Bale should put himself in the someone's else shoes and feel how it is.
Maybe it is high time our egotistic hero take some anger management classes.
Funny thing is, is that this happened many months ago and was originally "leaked" after his mother and sister claimed he assaulted them. And it was played on the news. My question is, why are they playing this again. Its old news. Leave the poor quy alone.
It's not necessarily the reaction to the situation but the length of the reaction. Bale goes off the hinge with this rage-driven attack for a full two to three minutes, more or less. At the end of the day he's a great actor and will therfore have his side taken. You get the sense he would walk off the film if everything didn't go his way and the DP wasn't fired. There's no denying that he's an intense actor whom takes his craftt very seriously, which is good. But there's also no denying that the way he handled the situation was childish and ego-driven. Entertaining to listen to but at the end of the day handled quite poorly by Bale.
What surprises me in all the commentary about Bale's tirade is that no one is commenting on his threats of physical violence. To me, that is the point at which Bale crosses the line in a huge way.
I have no problem with someone venting on a set. Let it out, then we'll make up and get the job done. But when someone threatens violence, that's a safety on the set issue and I take those very seriously.
I'm sure this is going to affect Bale's insurability on future productions, and producers are going to have to be aware of the potential liability of having him on the set.
A REAL professional can ignore distractions.
So Bale had a problem with this guy walking around, and that justifies that expletive-laden rant? If he can't keep his focus when someone walks by, then maybe he'd better be suited to being a forest ranger. The REST of us seem to be able to handle visual distractions. In addition, Bale didn't hire the lighting director, so the PROFESSIONAL thing to do would be to take it to the people that did. Yelling at the LD doesn't fix a darn thing, is counterproductive, and shows Bale to be another whiny actor that doesn't know just how good he has it.
Who cares, is what I say. And let's not forget that, even though he blew his top (and from the backstory rightly so), he didn't come out of character...Bale maintained his American accent. If that does not speak to the man's professionalism I don't know what does. Add to that, that he even mentioned that he thought the guy was a "good guy" but was interferring. Amidst his own stormy emotions, frustrations and personal perfectionism (lending to the man's repertoire of phenomenal roles), he still maintained that it wasn't a personal attack on the DP, but a professional one. I think he was well within his place to flip out verbally. I know I wouldn't want it to happen to me, but no doubt, after things cooled down, he apologized and the production moved on. Probably at a better clip with that being water under the bridge. Too much attention to this I feel.
Knowing what it's like on set, having been an PA, I know how important it is to stay as still as possible and quiet as a mouse to avoid lighting and noise issues, which can be distractions in all sorts of ways. It's expensive to do reshoots, and time is a commodity on-set, so getting things done expeditiously as possible, in as few takes as possible, is the way Hollywood works.
If indeed this guy was screwing around with things while the scene was being filmed, I can understand Mr. Bale sounding off. (Though the content should have been seriously self-edited).
When all's said and done, I don't have any real issues with Mr. Bale's reaction.