Christian Bale was with David O. Russell on Amsterdam before they even had a script
Christian Bale tells The A.V. Club that he and David O. Russell worked on his Amsterdam character together for "years"
Aux News Christian Bale
For better or worse, Christian Bale and David O. Russell are one of the most successful actor-director pairings in modern cinema. Both have courted controversy in the past for their mercurial personalities (Russell, separately and perhaps more notably, has also been accused of sexually assaulting his niece). Yet Bale apparently thrives in the reportedly demanding environment of Russell’s sets, culminating in their latest collaboration for Amsterdam, premiering October 7.
In an interview with The A.V. Club’s Jack Smart, Bale reveals what keeps him coming back to work on Russell’s movies again and again. “I love the way he approaches them, you know, like you said, he is so singular and unique, which obviously you want from a director, that’s the whole point, is having a fascinating point of view and setting the rhythm and what not,” he says.
“And it was a choice of ours after three films together, after The Fighter and then American Hustle, that for this one, for Amsterdam, he just was gonna bring me in right from the inception, right from the, you know, seeds of an idea that he had,” Bale continues. “And we sat in a diner and he said, ‘I’ve got a vague idea about this, and let’s just work on it for years until we’re ready’—and gradually created this character until I totally felt like he was in my bones. And then went and shot it.”
The result of those years of work debuts this coming weekend, and has so far garnered mixed reactions (In The A.V. Club’s B- review, Jordan Hoffman writes that the film “is not a great movie by any shakes, although it looks terrific and all of the performances … are energetic, entertaining, and enjoyable”).
Regardless of any controversy or possible negative reception, Bale has nothing but glowing words for his collaborator. “I don’t think there’s a better experience than working with David in that way. And, you know, he’s come out with a film that I’m incredibly proud to be a part of. Yeah, I love it.”