Here are some photos of Christian Bale and his wife Sibi arriving in LA after a long weekend in London, where they attended the BAFTAs together. I wanted to talk about Christian because… well, we have barely discussed him at all in months. Which is weird, right? I mean, we talk about him in association with other people, but mostly it’s been all quiet on the Bale front.
It’s strange because Christian is the lead in one of the biggest films of the awards season, American Hustle, and he’s promoted the film off-and-on for months. He’s given interviews, he’s done red carpets and press conferences and yet… there hasn’t been any news. He’s managed to get another Oscar nomination (for Best Actor) and yet all of the attention has been going to Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence (and a bit to Amy Adams). I feel like the hype around Hustle is all wrong – I walked out of that film mostly impressed with Bale (that’s the most I’ve ever liked him) and with Jeremy Renner. I thought Bradley was overwrought and J-Law’s part was overhyped and showy.
Anyway, I just thought I would point this out: Christian Bale has pretty much run the most quietly effective Oscar campaign this season. He hasn’t made any news, he’s fulfilled all of his PR obligations, he attended film festivals and he’s attended all of the awards shows he was nominated for. He got his Oscar nomination and I think that is enough for him. Part of it is that he already has an Oscar, so there’s no “hustle” for that big prize anymore. And part of it may be that Christian really doesn’t want to campaign this time around. He’s happy promoting the film, but he’s not interesting in shaking hands and doing a lot of extra stuff for an award. It’s like he’s found the perfect balance between “Michael Fassbender/publicly declaring that he won’t campaign” and “Leonardo DiCaprio/actively coming to play and kissing all the babies.” I call it “professionalism”.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
I like that he doesn’t engage in pap walks and we never see his kid.
He has a kid?!
A daughter, 8 or so years old. She gets photographed from time to time and he never treats it as a big deal. Interesting to note that his family lives in the same area (Santa Monica) as Affleck and Garner. Hmmmm. It’s amazing how much quieter your child’s life can be when you don’t worry about Oscar campaigning and selling copies of Good Housekeeping.
Bale’s wife is/was an actress? I didn’t know they lived in Santa Monica. Very few gated communities there. The Garner-Affleck’s live in the smaller, more celebrity-dense area of Brentwood.
Bale has definitely been more low-key throughout his career than someone like Ben Affleck. I think the most attention he’s had from the tabloids was when he was recorded flipping out on a crew member on some movie set.
He was my favourite part of American Hustle, but the movie has already received a lot of attention and he probably knows he’s a long, longshot to take home any awards. Why should he change course and become a campaign machine now?
@mercy
I think she modeled a little, but how they met was she was Winona Ryder’s assistant on Little Women, if I’m remembering right. At any rate, she was an assistant to an actress who worked with Bale.
I really love the Bale’s….they’ve been together for YEARS. And he is so sweet to her. I saw this radio interview he did, when he was promoting ‘Harsh Times’….the interviewer said something like ‘you’re so lucky to work with all these beautiful women i.e. Eva Longoria, etc’. And Christian agreed, but then said that he was married to the most beautiful woman alive, and that he had to say that.
There were quite a lot of photos of his daughter when they were filming in Boston. But these people do have to lead their lives, I am not one of these people who think every single pap shot is a pre-arranged PR exercise.
@Jenny
“But these people do have to lead their lives, I am not one of these people who think every single pap shot is a pre-arranged PR exercise.”
I agree with you. If the paps know a celeb’s daily routine/schedule, they will show up to get pics. It’s their livelihood. I don’t believe Jennifer Garner calls the paps every time she drops her kids off at school or to their dance practices. She herself said the paps know where and when her kids go to school, so it’s no surprise they turn up to take pics of them. Also, the paps hang out at the Grove, Bristol Farms, Whole Foods, Runyon Canyon, LAX and other popular places like that because they know celebs go to them to shop, travel and exercise. Don’t forget, the paps also get tips too from store/restaurant/hotel/bar/airport employees in exchange for cash. While there are some celebs who do alert the paps, I also believe there are many who don’t.
I think that the only time, really, that a celeb called the paps is either when they are really low tier, and coming from their dentist’s office. Other than that, it’s WAY too easy for the paps to find them, if they live in LA and go into some ‘common’ areas…plus with what you said–the hotels, resturants, etc calling the paps….it’s way too easy now.
And plus I think it’s hard to tell with who really does call the paps–like with the Affleck’s. One good point, that was brought up, was that when the Affleck’s are seen more and more, playing happy family, during the awards season, is that because they’re calling the paps more, or is it because there’s a greater interest in them BECAUSE Ben was nominated….I tend to think the latter.
He doesn’t need to. He’s the mother fkin’ Batman.
+10000000000000000000!
I love Bale so praise him all you like, even if American Hustle WAS a big ol’ crock o’ somethingishantsayhere. And I’ve no great stake in the Fassy game, but I still think you have that wrong and have got one quote all out of proportion. He’s done exactly what Bale’s done this season – and that includes quiet campaigning.
+ 1, you said it better than I could Sixer.
THIS!
+1 I think Fassy’s done exactly what Bale has done!!
I agree too, plus no one from 12 years a slave apart from Lupita is campaigning actively for Oscars. I don’t get what the big deal is, there are so many actors who don’t always campaign for awards eg Leo.
+100000 Sixer 😉 Bale hasn’t been campaigning, J-Law isn’t campaigning and has shown up to only two award shows, Cooper has only really been talking about his hair, I haven’t seen really anything from Barkhad Abdi in terms of campaigning so idk why Fassbender keeps getting singled out. I think it is because of that one quote. He just said what others have said before and more only think about. With that said…I agree that I was only whole heatedly into Bale, Adams and Renner in American Hustle. How Bradley scored a nomination over Jeremy Renner is beyond me. I was behind his nom for SLP, and could see if he got recognition for The Place beyond the pines, but not AH. This movie is one big “This is a David O’ Russel film” overhype.
I’ve loved bale in every movie I’ve seen him in. aH was entertaining but otherwise pretty forgettable. Bale was so fantastic in that movie that I forgot he was in it– he totally disappeared in that role. Agree jlaw was fun but her performance was pretty over the top.
The actor who I also thought was amazing this year? Joaquin Phoenix in her. He was so tender touching and real. I guess he doesn’t play the game enough to get a nom though.
He got an Oscar??? Didnt know that.
For The Fighter. (Best Supporting). Deserved IMHO!
And £10 to anyone who can find a photo of the good lady wife NOT wearing black… 😉
here you go:
http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Sibi+Blazic/Christian+Bale/Terminator+Salvation+Paris+Premiere/oKayhORC1ta
but it’s the only one I’ve found 😉
She’s even more stunning in colour.
He creeps me out.
With you. If this movie will make me impressed with him, I’ll skip it. I would rather cling to my distaste for him.
The Oscars is gonna be a nail biter this year!
I kind of feel pretty sure about the Oscars (with the exception of best supporting actress).
+ agree that Bale and Jenner was the best thing about AH (Amy). But I think Her, Wolf of Wall Street and 12 years of slave are way better movies.
Agreed. After the BAFTAs which threw me for a couple loops I’m just gonna stop trying to guess who is getting what. The only sure thing for me seems to be Alfonso Cuaron for Best Director.
He did get a nomination, which is more than Michael B. Jordan, Robert Redford, and Tom Hanks got when all were deserving. Bale seems content to just do the work, which is good. And he looks good now that he lost that weight!
I would’ve put any one of those three ahead of Leo, and even Bale, though he was my favourite part of AH.
I just think he’s not a campaigning kind of guy, plus I’d imagine he knows he’s not a front runner.
AH was really entertaining, and the performances were all great, but I liked Bale, Adams, and Renner the best.
How Renner didn’t get a best supporting nomination for AH is beyond me.
I don’t particularly care for Renner in general, and yet I complelty agree with this statement! He gave one of the best performances of the year in that role. He was miles better than Cooper, who was overwrought and over-the-top. And yet, Renner was overshadowed by Cooper and his fake curls.
Also, I though Christian Bale was terrific.
I would’ve given a nom to Renner over Cooper. It seems like BC is on the awards show circuit’s radar now after Silver Linings so he gets the noms. He’s always seemed like one of those actors who lived for their career and wanted this kind of success very badly, so I’m glad he’s got it but I wish actors like Renner weren’t overlooked in all the hoopla.
Cooper was HORRIBLE in this movie. I mean, everyone’s pissed off that JLaw got a best supporting actress nom in all of the major awards….they should be bitching about Cooper. He was flat out terrible…..I mean, hand to God, he was better in ‘the A Team’ (which I only watched for my Liam) than in American Hustle. WAY better. And that’s a shame, because he was sarcastic eye candy in A-team. I thought Cooper was hot for all of ten seconds and then it just faded….probably because my hubby was in the movie 😉
I agree, Christian and Jeremy stood out the most for me. I was shocked Jeremy didn’t get any nominations and that Jennifer has actually been winning awards
I agree about Bale and Renner, their’s were the only characters I cared about and I wish they had more screen time together. I thought Amy was good, but I didn’t like her character much. -I thought Cooper was poor and both his and Lawrence’s characters were indulgent and irritating. I came out liking Bale, Renner and Adams much more for being so game and they are now all top of my wish list. Lawrence has put my back up a bit and I will be actively avoiding Cooper from now on. Unfortunately I wasn’t shocked by any of the nominations/results.
I agree. Cooper’s role was too coked-out for me. I liked certain aspects of the movie but wasn’t in love with it.
Totally agree with you, Anna. Loved the movie and CB and JR. I think BCoop and JLaw were way, way over-hyped in the movie and the press surrounding it. I could have done with a lot less of those two.
Normally, I like to put bad movie experiences aside, and American Hustle was one of them, but I have to agree that Renner was one of the highlights of AH and I resent that he still isn’t getting any shine for it. Carmine was the only character that I had any sustained feeling of affection for-everyone else I could take or leave, although I would keep Edith/Sydney around, many for the fashion and her hair game.
Oops… I also like the Louis CK character too.
Just wanted to share this because Christian Bale is pretty cool and quietly does awesome stuff for people without wanting the publicity. I only know about this because it’s a local story and the cousin is the one telling people about it not Bale. The child is named Dan Hammond and has a Facebook page for friends and family to send pics and comments for inspiration as he battles cancer at CHOP. His cousin has worked with Bale and told him about Dan. So Bale contributed to his page. Pretty cool and I have even more respect for him. http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20140219_Oscar-winner_helps_out_ailing_local.html
That’s lovely! Best wishes to Dan too.
I wish stuff like this would get more attention. But I suppose “Jennifer Lawrence calls Christian Bale FAT!!” gets more clicks than “Christian Bale isn’t the asshole everyone thinks he is”.
Then again, I suppose attention isn’t why he does this stuff.
*side-eye to Jennifer Aniston and her flipper shenanigans from yesterday*
I think that Christian has one hell of a temper when he gets set off—but I bet it takes a whole lot of SOMETHING to set him off–coughiscrazyopportunisticmomandsistercough….but other than that? I think he is a nice, sweet, HOT guy, and I am insanely jealous of his wife. I don’t understand how losing control of yourself ONE time, and then apologizing for it profusely and sincerely, in TWENTY years of a career, means that you’re an asshole.
+1000
I think he knows he hasn’t got a chance to win, so why bother!
I don’t know about this movie, I walked out of the theatre almost in the middle. I didn’t get the hype about it. Then a friend asked me about the movie and I told her what happened and she mentioned the same thing happened to her. Maybe is just us but is a movie about nothing to be honest. J-Law and Bradley were meh, Amy was OK and I agree Bale was good but still all about nothing.
I also thought Bale was by leaps and bounds the best thing about American Hustle (as well as Amy Adams and Louis CK). Bale is just a great actor. Period. There is nothing I won’t watch him in, and even if a movie isn’t great, I usually always enjoy him in it.
Agreed – AH reminded me of that and I’ve been going back through his filmography a bit, just watched 3:10 to Yuma, really good. I wanted to go see Out of the Furnace too, but it didn’t last long in theaters here. I think it comes out on DVD in March.
He’s never been a campaigner really. He lets the work speak for itself.
He deserved the nomination and I think he’ll have the best position on Oscar night.
Isn’t going to win but doesn’t have to. He can just go for the swag bag and relax and laugh at everyone else sweating it out. LOL
does somebody knows why is his wife allways wearing black????
Yay, I’m glad we get us some Bale news/articles! 😀
@danni Because she probably likes that colour? Or maybe that’s her thing, you know, that’s how she distinguishes herself: “the woman who is always wearing black”?! That’s all I’ve got, honestly. She (almost) always wears black on the red carpet and in everyday life, so she must really like it. She looks great in it, though. She has a nice figure, beautiful hair, a lovely smile and it that photo above she looks exceptionally beautiful. They are a beautiful couple together.
He campaigns in a way similar to Daniel Day Lewis. Maybe like Day-Lewis he simply likes to do the best job he can and keep the hype to a manageable minimum – I think they are both very bright men as well as being brilliant actors and they get the respect they deserve because of their conduct. I have far more time for these two than the ‘reeking of desperation’ antics of DiCaprio – JMO
I really like Bale. I can’t see him ever obviously campaigning for an Oscar. I don’t remember anything overt even with The Fighter. Hollywood’s a better place having him there, I hope they’re never “f’king done professionally”.
I love his face!! it’s so unique…I want Bruce Dern to win though. (please God make it happen!)
I guess I’m just dumb about how this works, but why does an actor have to campaign for the Oscar? How come it isn’t just based on the performance alone? I never realized the Oscars were so similar to politics.
You’re not dumb. We don’t know the whys or at least I don’t. It should be based on performance and half the time it is, but the Oscars much likely Hollywood is very political.
Totally agree about Jennifer. She didn’t deserve the BAFTA. I really hope she doesn’t get the Oscar. I actually saw the movie after the nominations had been announced so i was really expecting her to be as good as in Silver Linings Playbook, so I was real disappointed, not to say she wasn’t good, just not second Academy Award good.
And I think she was really good,her performance was perfect balance betwen being ridiculous and very touching. But it’s a good role in a mediocre film.
Cooper was disappointing, everybody else was flawless.
If you’re not going to campaign much, I think this is the right way to go about it.
As for his decision, I think it’s a combination of him already having the prize, understanding that he’s not a particularly strong contender for it this year but that several of his castmates are, and not being very comfortable with giving interviews. As I remember, he’s also not particularly good at giving interviews, either. There might also be an element of understanding that in his case it’s not going to help and might hurt. I rather like Bale, but his interviews sometimes go awry.
LoVE him! amazing actor, so hot. his wife or gf is beautiful. he does the right thing as a human. i really respect him.
I think I’ve is a great actor and was amazing in the fighter. I think he is an amazing person, he and his wife. When that less than human psycho piece of crap opened fire on the movie theatre for that last Batman movie Bale and his wife were in Colorado within 48hrs visiting all hospitals to meet with the people they could, thanked the first responders and even visited the makeshift memorial location. They were dressed down, no fuss, you would never have know they were celebrities. He really lifted spirits at a critical time. Class act all the way.
1/ i think he didn’t think to be nod
2/ he yet won an Oscar for The Fighter
3/ he believes only the work must talk
4/ i believe he has other thing in his mind. His wife looks pregnant .It’s obvious on some Bafta pics
I don’t think she’s pregnant at all.
She is.
I was amazed at his performance in American Hustle.
i agree the hype around the male roles in American Hustle is all wrong. bradley cooper was, predictably, the twitchy douche that i imagine him to be in real life. christian bale and jeremy renner just became those guys. to a T.
Christian Bale has done any campaigning because he was busy filming “Exodus”. He just recently finished which is why he was able to show up at the BAFTA’s.
He also did almost no promotion for American Hustle. The little promotion he did was all for that Furnance movie.
Ah Mr hot stuff and his even hotter wife! Nicely done! It’s good to see him again. I hadn’t even realized that he was running a quiet campaign until you mentioned it! Wow… Pretty stealthy and classy on his part. Very clever. I loved American Hustle and hope that Christian gets another Oscar. He is just brilliant in my book! (And I agree with you about Renner too)
They guy is an awesome actor. No need to campaign when your THAT good.
Bale never campaigns for awards. He didn’t do it for The Fighter either. If memory serves me right, he was filming Flowers of War in China during the Awards Season that year. But he’s always so good that he really doesn’t need to.
Adams is the best, really hope she wins this year!!!
I love me some Christian Bale!
I think Sibi is pregnant.
He’s incredibly hot. The best part about reading Fifty Shades was imagining him as Christian—he totally could have done it 10-15 years ago. Even now but he’s too actor-y.
I dislike that he was the last to stand at the BAFTAs when Chiwetel Ejiofor won…
He never does showy campaigning. He’s been nominated so many times, he’s rapidly turning into the male Meryl for racking up those nominations.
Bale? This is only his 2nd nomination.
Maybe they meant award nominations as a whole? But yeah, this is only his 2nd Oscar nod.
Simply let’s his acting do the talking, that’s the way it should be.