A couple of weeks ago, CB showed us some pictures of the now manorexic-looking Christian Bale on the set of his new film, The Fighter. The film is based on the true story of boxer-turned-trainer-turned-crackhead Dicky Eklund. Mark Wahlberg and Amy Adams also star, but it’s Bale who keeps getting most of the attention. This is because Bale is some kind of extreme “method” actor, and he’s determined to play a crackhead with as much authenticity as possible. Even if authenticity comes at the price of looking like this. If you hadn’t told me this was Christian Bale, I would have thought the paparazzi just took some photos of a random street addict. I guess I have to give it to Bale, he looks… authentic. Is that the right word? Is there a word for “no thanks, I’m never going to be interested again, even if he gets hot again a year from now”?

It seems even the paparazzi are getting a bit worried about Christian, because the photos included this note: “The method actor has always been known to really dive into his roles headfirst, and take on all of the physical challenges called for, but these pictures makes one wonder if the actor is taking it too far to play the crack addled Dicky.” So here’s a question… just how “method” is Bale? If he was playing a crack addict, I would think he’s “method” enough to try, to experience, to use crack. Or is this all dieting and makeup?

Interestingly enough, Entertainment Weekly’s PopWatch is worried about Bale too – by their count, The Fight will be Bale third method-anorexia performance, and at this point, the Academy just needs to give him an Oscar already:

Poor Christian Bale. The guy has already gone super-method on us not once, but twice — when he essentially starved himself for roles in The Machinist and Rescue Dawn — but it looks like he’s ditched the hamburgers and Ensure once again based on photos from the set of The Fighter, his new movie about a drug-addled boxer.

Seriously, the Academy: How much weight does Bale have to lose before you finally award him an Oscar? What don’t you f–king understand? Nicole Kidman only had to don a fake nose to nab the prize! But let’s just go ahead and give him one before he slips through a crack on the street, ‘mkay?

Does Bale’s repeated attempts to become emaciated for the sake of his art freak you out as much as it does me?

Especially when actors like Matt Damon — who lost 40 pounds to play a heroin addict in Courage Under Fire — have been told their heart health could suffer from such a rapid diet?

[From Entertainment Weekly‘s PopWatch]

One of the most under-reported “method” weight loss/gain stories in film lore, for me, is the one of Vincent D’Onofrio in Full Metal Jacket. According to sources, Vincent put on 70 pounds to play Private Pyle, beating out Robert DeNiro’s Raging Bull 60-pound weight gain. Considering it was one of Vincent’s first roles, no one really recognized his extraordinary transformation, and Vincent wasn’t nominated for any acting awards for what should have been his breakthrough performance. Now that is a man I can get behind, forever and always. Team D’Onofrio.