Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Religious Music & Entertainment
Christian Bale and Acting in Good Faith

Christian Bale and Acting in Good Faith

Last updated on: November 7, 2014 at 11:03 am by Paul Asay

Christian Bale and Acting in Good Faith 2014-11-07T11:03:41-06:00 Paul Asay

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Christian Bale, who plays Moses in the upcoming Ridley Scott epic Exodus: Gods and Kings, doesn’t seem to like his character very much. He recently told a group of reporters, “I think the man was likely schizophrenic and was one of the most barbaric individuals that I ever read about in my life.”

Bale’s comments generated concern from some sectors of the Christian community. Faith Driven Consumer, pairing Bale’s comments with some remarks made by Scott on crafting a more naturalistic explanation for the Red Sea’s parting, believes that Exodus “is heading down the same road as Noah.”

That may or may not be true. And as far as I’m concerned, that may or may not be a bad thing. But for me, Bale’s statements—and the resulting backlash—trigger a couple of questions: One, Should actors in faith-centric movies be believers themselves? And two, how difficult is it for us, the moviegoer, to separate an actor from the character he or she plays?

Now, the first question may seem to some to be a non-issue to some. Actors are paid to act, after all. We do not expect Chris Pratt to have experience with aliens to take part in Guardians of the Galaxy. Chad Allen, who gave a stirring performance as missionary Nate Saint in the Christian movie End of the Spear, is gay and in fact participated in a gay rights march that wound up on the steps of Focus on the Family. If we required actors to share lots of similarities with the characters they play, our movies would be much worse and our actors much weirder.

But when you think about it, the question isn’t so cut-and-dry. I know of many a Christian producer who feels it’s critical to have Christian actors: They say that you can’t make a truly God-honoring movie without complete spiritual buy-in from the folks making it. Sure, that doesn’t always result in great art, but I get where they’re coming from. You kinda want people in ministry to, y’know, believe in what they’re saying. Is a movie so different? And even though Exodus: Gods and Kings isn’t designed to convert anyone, the fact the story itself is a story of faith—a story embraced by major religions and billions of people—begs, I think, at least some consideration. Its makers have certainly been petitioning faith-based moviegoers to give the thing a chance.

And then we’ve got to consider Bale’s own adherence to his craft, given that he’s pretty notorious for sinking deeply into his characters’ psyches.

Bale, who normally weighs around 185 pounds, dropped about a third of that to play the insomniac Travor Resnick in The Machinist (pictured to the right)—then immediately gained it all back and then some for Batman Begins (below). While he doesn’t utterly lose himself in a part like Daniel Day-Lewis (who sent texts as “Abraham Lincoln” when filming Lincoln), the line between Bale and his character does blur at times, it would seem.

A few years back, someone recorded Bale on the set of Terminator: Salvation unleashing an abusive tirade at a poor stagehand that accidentally interrupted a scene. “It wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t been playing that scene … between (character) John Connor and his wife, which is probably the most intense one in the movie,” he told GQ. “I’d definitely say that that guy who was yelling was at least half John Connor, and the rest was Christian Bale.”

When you’re talking about such a wholesale commitment to character, maybe it’s not so outlandish to hope that someone playing a part so predicated on deep faith would understand, on some level, the power of that faith. And while I can’t say what Bale things about religion, he does admit that his knowledge of Moses was pretty spotty. So maybe that’s not so encouraging.

But on the other hand, Bale coming into the role without a lot of preconceived notions might be a good thing. And remember, it’s not like Bale was a big fan of Batman, either: “He’s got all sorts of issues,” he said of the superhero. “He’s just as twisted and messed-up as the villains he’s fighting, and that’s part of the beauty of the whole story.”

That Bale didn’t revere Batman growing up and understood the hero’s flaws helped, I think, create a more complex, more resonant character. And perhaps the same will happen with Moses. Bale’s read on the guy could potentially translate into a truly remarkable, unique depiction of Moses—something that, unpinned to our Sunday school expectations of the character, might help us see the story in a new and even better way.

But if Bale’s Moses does work, will Christians give it the credit it is due? It can be difficult to separate an actor’s on-screen work from their public statements. I know folks who refuse to watch any movie with Jane Fonda in it: Her visit to North Vietnam in 1972 is still raw in their memory. There are those who’ll never watch a Mel Gibson film the same way again, given his own very public missteps. Some Christians, I’m sure, who believe End of the Spear is tainted by Allen’s activism.

Should actors in faith-centric movies be believers themselves? Not necessarily, I’d say. And I hope that, as movie-goers, we can set aside we know about an actor—any actor—when we watch them bring a character to life. And when it comes to Exodus: Gods and Kings, I hope that the larger Christian community will withhold judgment until we have a chance to see the movie.

Exodus: Gods and Kings

faith

Previous Post

November 5, 2014

Maleficent: Horns, Wings and a Fractured Fairy

Next Post

November 10, 2014 Spiritual Space: Finding Faith in the Sci-Fi Stars

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category books celebrities Editor's Choice games movies music news sports superheroes television Uncategorized

Select a Month May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 December 2025 October 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 September 2023 March 2023 February 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 December 2021 October 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What Christian group uses the term "Elder" for its church leaders?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Baptists Presbyterians Pentecostals Methodists

Books by This Author Books by Paul Asay

See All Titles »