Christian Bale's Batman Begins Bodybuilding Caused A Small Crisis Behind The Scenes
Everyone knows the story of Goldilocks and the three bears, wherein a girl isn't satisfied with the things she discovers until they're "just right." This concept has permeated a number of disparate fields, even making it into scientific circles where the "Goldilocks principle" is used as a measure of balance.
Apparently the "Goldilocks principle" applies to the Dark Knight, too. When it comes to portraying the superhero known as Batman, there seems to be a particular physique and shape that is, as Goldilocks would say, "just right." Hitting that physique, however, is easier said than done, as actor Christian Bale came to discover while attempting to mold his body in preparation for director Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins." Through a distinct amount of effort and a lot of trial and error, it took Bale more than one try to make himself into the Caped Crusader, leading to a minor crisis behind the scenes.
From string bean to bear
When Christopher Nolan first approached Christian Bale about the role, the actor was in a particularly unique physical state, having slimmed down considerably in order to portray the emaciated insomniac of director Brad Anderson's "The Machinist." While Nolan was, of course, familiar with Bale's work, he still wanted to make sure the actor knew what he had in mind for Bruce Wayne. Bale recalled Nolan telling him about his dilemma in a "Making of 'Batman Begins'" featurette:
"He did call me and say, 'Well, you know, how do you look right now? You know? How am I going to seriously be able to suggest to Warner Bros. that you could play Batman ever if you're that skinny?'"
After making "The Machinist," Bale set to work on a training regimen that would allow him to bulk up his body considerably, thanks to Nolan having "impressed upon him the idea that for Bruce Wayne to really fill that suit he was going to have to be very, very large," the director said.
Bale pushed his calorie intake while lifting weights, enough to bring his weight up to 220 pounds. Clearly, Bale's bulking up had gone a little too far, and Nolan had to find a way to "gently suggest" that the actor slim down again. As Bale remembered the incident:
"I just listened to what he said about, 'Get as big as you possibly can,' so that's what I did, you know? But I was kind of like a bear, I wasn't really, like, a martial arts guy. All lean and ripped and everything like that. I could see the look on Chris' face, you know? He looked to me and it was like, 'Oh Christ, what has this guy done?'"
From bear to Batman
Christian Bale's weight class wasn't just a potential aesthetic issue for Warner Bros.; it was also a practical issue given the already-in-progress design elements for the film, as producer Emma Thomas remembered thinking, "'God, is he gonna fit the Batsuit?'"
Bale remembers the issue as "a moment of panic," understanding that he'd misinterpreted what Christopher Nolan had meant about getting "big" for the character. Now knowing that he'd have to try and lose a lot of the weight he'd just put on, Bale didn't do anything as foolish as a crash diet or some other unhealthy behavior. Fight Arranger David Forman remembers the plan he and Bale undertook to make the change happen:
"We worked on his stamina and built his muscle tone so we could bring his body back up to being what it needed to be for Batman. And Christian knew anyway, because he was such a focused guy. He knew his own body."
As a result of what ended up being a good deal of effort and training, Bale finally hit the perfect physique for Bruce Wayne/Batman, went on to play the part, and made cinematic history as the Dark Knight over three blockbuster movies as "Begins" turned into a record-breaking trilogy. It may have been a strange journey for the actor, but like Goldilocks herself, he finally found his "just right."