Featured Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
Topics: Batman, Hollywood, Film and TV
Joe Yates
If there were any lingering doubts about Christian Bale's acting or his physical capabilities, they will surely be put to bed after this article.
The man is arguably the greatest actor of all time, and maybe even an employee—just going off the fact that I don't think anyone on the planet in any other career would purposely make themselves dangerously thin for their job.
If you've seen The Machinist then you know exactly what I'm talking about, but if you haven't, then watch the trailer below.
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The movie, which has an IMDb rating of 7.6, follows Bale as Trevor Reznik - an industrial worker who hasn't slept in a year begins to doubt his own sanity.
The one-time Oscar winner pushed his body to the limit for the psychological thriller.
Speaking to the Guardian about the journey, he explained how he feels calmest during extreme fasting.
Bale said: “It’s an amazing experience doing that. When you’re so skinny that you can hardly walk up a flight of stairs, you’re like, this being of pure thought.
"It’s like you’ve abandoned your body. That’s the most Zen-like state I’ve ever been in my life. Two hours sleep, reading a book for 10 hours straight without stopping; unbelievable.
"You couldn’t rile me up. No rollercoaster of emotions.”
But it didn't last forever, I'm not sure if Bale was happy that he had to put weight on as it sounds like he enjoyed it - other than not being able to climb stairs!
He added" “As soon as you start putting the food back in your stomach, the rollercoaster comes back.”
So how do you lose 63 of your initial 173 pounds?
Yes, according to IMDb Bale weighed in at 173 pounds before he began his four-month fast for The Machinist, and by the end of it he was emaciated and came in at 110 pounds.
His diet consisted of an apple, a tin of tuna and a cup of black coffee a day, with the occasional whiskey.
But of course it meant he wouldn't have much of a social life.
He explained: “I’d do a bit of eating hardly anything and losing 51 pounds, and then I’d put on 7 pounds bingeing one night because I’d have a couple of drinks.
"So I decided no more social life, no more friends, no more dinners, no more drinks.”
Once he had finished The Machinist, Batman Begins started filming just months later meaning he then had to bulk up.
He then got 'straight into pizza and ice cream and everything, and just eating five meals in a sitting', disregarding advice that he should eat soups to begin with - a decision that made him violently ill.
But we all know how it ended, he to me is THE Batman.
You can't doubt his dedication to his craft.