New Batman Movie: Darkest Knight
When The Dark Knight was chosen as the title of Christian Bale's return as Batman, no one could have predicted just how dark things would get.
The death of Heath Ledger has given an even more sinister edge to his striking performance as the Joker and left the movie as a whole with the kind of morbid air not normally associated with a comic-book movie.
Fortunately, both as the Caped Crusader and as an actor, The Dark Knight has in Bale the kind of leading man who can cope with both the sentiment surrounding Ledger's death, and with making sure his last completed work is fully appreciated. The 34-year-old Welsh actor and Ledger were friends as well as co-stars and he had predicted great things for his pal as Batman's demented clown-faced foe even before his untimely death from a drug overdose.
"Heath was a joy to work with," recalls Bale. "He fitted right in to what we were trying to achieve and that was to take the subject matter seriously. Because if we didn't, why would the audience?
"He understood that and immersed himself completely in the role. He was a unique man and because of that it was fascinating to watch him at work. He did one hell of a job on this movie and is sorely missed."
Describing his reaction to the news of Ledger's death, Bale quietly adds: "I was just shocked. It was a complete shock. It's such a sad loss for everyone who knew him, especially his family."
Ledger's death has in turn done for Bale's Batman what he has always striven to achieve since accepting the role in 2005. No longer is the hero a colourful comedy character armed with one-liners and camp catchphrases. Batman is now as dark as he ever was in the graphic novels and comics.
The new movie sees the character battling not only the Joker, but deformed district attorney Harvey Dent, aka Two Face, and his own demons as tortured billionaire Bruce Wayne with his secret life as a vigilante crime fighter.
"In this one, Batman is very much someone who has matured," explains Bale. "He has come to realise that his task of cleaning up the city is an infinite one.
"You get to see a man who is at the crossroads in terms of which path he should take with his life when he is faced with the anarchy the Joker represents. How does he deal with this villain who has no rules?"
What we also get to see is Bale slipping much more comfortably into his role and Batman's famous cape and cowl -- thanks to some alterations by the star himself.
"I like this one very much, just for my own personal comfort," laughs the actor on the subject of the second version of his Batsuit.
"The changes they made for this suit definitely meant we were allowing ourselves to do more. I mean I am more agile, faster and it's lighter. There was still a lot of sweating, but I have to put up with that."
With or without the chafing from his bat tights, Bale was always destined to return to the role that has seen him become a major player in Hollywood. The actor has put the Caped Crusader back on track in terms of his comic-book character and at the same time Batman has put Bale back on track as a leading man.
"I see Batman as being the baddest of all the superheroes," says Bale of the character's ongoing appeal. "I think people like that. He is a flawed individual and all the more human for it.
"It was always said that we didn't want to do a second movie unless we could surpass the first one and I think we have done that," he adds.
"We got the gang back from the first movie and the new members added were just as fantastic. Obviously, we had Heath who gave an incredible performance as the Joker."
As a method actor, Bale admits it's difficult not to take some of his latest movie's dark themes home with him, but thankfully a happy family life with wife Sibi and three-year-old daughter Emmaline help balance things out.
"Some of them do stay with you, yes," says Bale of his on-screen personas. "I think she [Sibi] liked The Machinist the best, because I was so calm and quiet. I think it was a nice change for her.
"She doesn't like all my characters. But she sees it this way -- she gets to live with many different husbands," he laughs. "I'm sure I can be a little moody sometimes, but so is everyone I know. No one is just one thing all the time."
Bale met former model and make-up artist Sandra "Sibi" Blazic on the set of Little Women in 1994. The couple married in 2000 and now live in LA with their daughter.
"Sibi knows a lot about the business," says Bale. "She travels with me everywhere now, so we're together all the time, which is great."
Relaxing in the rare moments of calm in his hectic life, Bale either manages to be almost as all-action as Batman or the complete opposite.
"I don't have any real hobbies, although I love to take my dirt bike out into the desert," he reveals. "But I'm actually very good at spending a lot of time doing absolutely nothing.
"I'm a master at that. Oh, and I love to sleep."
However, you only have to look at the man to see that Bale takes health and fitness almost as seriously as his acting.
He pours himself into each role both physically and mentally. For The Dark Knight, that meant a little less work than usual.
"There were a few new things I had to train for but it wasn't like the training I did for Batman Begins," he says. "This time they knew that I can throw a punch and walk at the same time. There was a little more confidence in me because I pick things up quickly."
Not that Bale is totally clean living. Even superheroes are allowed to be a little bit naughty sometimes. "I do smoke on occasions," admits the actor. "I love to smoke when I drink, but then I also love to go running like crazy and getting my heart pounding and gasping for air, and the two don't tend to go well together.
"Running is actually a great cure for a hangover -- if you've got a bad one, just go and run like crazy. It's hideous for a few minutes, but it does cure it."
Although this summer will bring Bale and Batman more blockbuster success, he's not the type of star to let that go to his head. Or as he puts his knack of keeping his feet firmly on the ground: "I have enough people around me telling me I'm an asshole." n
'The Dark Knight' is released in Ireland in July
- Andy Stone
