The last thing we want is to fan the flames on this, but since yesterday’s story broke with so few hard facts, it’s useful to see the story refined and clarified with any new info at all. Most importantly, the language of the complaint and possible eventual charges hinged on the word “assault,” which seems on the surface to be brutal — especially to Americans accustomed to doing our assaulting in more aggressive terms. This piece from The Daily Mail peers a little too deeply into touchy “personal life” territory, but it does seem to confirm a significant factor that came to light yesterday: the “assault” appears to have been done verbally, and the “lashing out” we kept hearing whipped up on cable news was apparently more of a tongue-lashing.
The source said: ‘Christian was stressed, but he didn’t lay a finger on anyone. Instead, he flew off the handle and cussed his mother. He just got very loud because his mother was saying some very outrageous things about him, and his wife.’
While the headline hyenas here had a field day, we’ve tried to defuse the inflammatory language, counteract the tabloid vultures, and tamp down the rush to judgment. Trying to put a lid on the worst assertions, we keep in mind that the timing couldn’t have been worse — Bale’s “moment of glory,” in Sasha’s words, ruined by circumstances already pressurized and made worse by the media feeding frenzy.
Wait, there’s a presidential election going on?
yes and more good news. That the film took in over $24M today helped this story and two others knock the Bale alleged assault out of the top 3 GoogleNews entertainment stories.
Hooray for Miley Cyrus’ descent into going nude (just kidding).
To try to get the focus back on the movie, I just saw that TDK is the fastest to $200 million in 5 days, beating the old record set by POTC:DMC by 3 days. Un-fricking-believeable. 🙂
rob if bale doesn’t go to movies/like movies. well what’s so bad about that ???
maybe this allows him to come up with slant on character others would miss….
and yep if that’s how bale feels i’d rather be honest about than lie and say he watches 3000 movies a year like most other actors say (well you know what i mean..)
however if you think his ‘lack of ‘interest’ is holding him back performance wise…but even if that was case..there so many actors that talk about their passion for ‘the craft’ (or however i should phrase it ask a real movie fan for details..) and love of the movies that total suck. so what’s there excuse ???
and should i give them more points because they’ve seen every movie/love everything/and know trivia question ???? and talk about it endlessly ????
so uh no i’m not bothered by his ‘attitude'(nah i think i like/my that was refreshing…)
but yeah if you think his ‘attitude’ is the wrong turn now(and other cliches…) is mucking his acting well/ok get your point/and why you think it’s shame…
but if you can ‘not care’ about movies and still be one of the better kids in the game. why get a day job ???
hell, how many walk away/unless forced… go bale… 🙂
Rob, I am a big fan of Christian Bale (as anyone who was reading this blog this past Oscar season may remember) and I have never gotten the impression that he has a “bad attitude” about his work, life or anything. Obviously, you’re not going to “know” a celebrated actor simply by seeing his movies and reading articles about him, but the impression I have of Bale (I have also heard him speak at several post-screening Q&As) is of a very intense young man with a healthy sense of irony and an amazing talent. And if you have seen all of his performances in films released over the past five years, it’s clear that he is not just a graduate of the Jenny Craig School of Acting.
Exactly, Lily. Though I wonder how many people make the distinction between the legal definition and the more general dictionary definition (which includes military and sexual assaults, and encompasses physical contact in common usage).
Not that the casual reader can be blamed for misunderstanding when professional journalists make no attempt to explain the finer points. That’s why headlines like “Did Batman smack his mum?” (Cleveland Plain Dealer) and “Christian Bale: Mom-Beater?” (MomLogic.com) are so sleazy and sensationalist.
Say what you want about the dingy reputation of The Daily Mail, but it provides a more accurate description of events than the American mainstream media.
It would be simple enough to construct a reliable headline, but “Christian Bale Yells at His Mother” looks kinda silly, doesn’t it? Looks like something that doesn’t even belong on the news, right?
You raise another excellent question, Lily. Who hasn’t been in a shouting match with their mother? But how many of our mothers turn us in to the cops for talking back?
There’s your headline: “Actor’s Mom Wigs Out; Sister Has a Cow. Future Oscar Hopes Dashed?”
There was a time when I greatly admired Christian Bale. I thought his performance in Empire Of The Sun was one of the most stunning I have ever seen on film, especially when you consider his age at the time. Sadly over the years this admiration has diminished. Christian has been quoted as saying he doesn’t go to movies, doesn’t like movies, he just enjoys making them. He apparently believes that modern acting consists in the main of putting on and taking off weight, depending on the role. I still have great admiration for Christian’s ability, but his attitude leaves a lot to be desired. I hope I am very, very wrong.
Assault involves a verbal threat while battery involves touching another person. So it was not incorrect to describe the encounter between Bale and his mother and sister as an assault. I do wonder why Bale’s mother and sister could not have handled the matter privately rather then going to the police
I hope that today is the last of the Bale story, at least for AD. Unless of course, we learn that Bale secretly has a basement buried full of dead hookers this side of Ben Affleck….
Sir Alfredo, our loyal royal liege 😉
We don’t want to quash dissent or discourage any kind of comments or feedback. The fact that some of these topics rile people up is testament to our wide-ranging interests and enthusiasm — and diversity of perspective. That’s a valuable aspect of the dynamic here, because it serves as a reality check when we sometimes get swept up in the moment.
We understand where you’re coming from, Richie, and I’m ready for this story to go away too.
Also, don’t forget that anytime anyone wants to raise a provocative issue and wants to avoid a storm of backlash, you can always reach me and Sasha by email, through the sidebar links.
That way we can verbally assault you in private 😎
Richie, you’re completely in the wrong site then if you don’t care who wins the Oscar race. If you want to know whats good then read Ebert’s reviews and keep it moving. We come here to have discussions on ALL aspects of films and awards races. Yes that sometimes includes discussing an actor’s private life especially when it has become so public and therefore could hurt his/her chances at any kind of awards attention. Lastly, do not look your noses down at us for caring about something like the Oscar race. We know there are other things that are “more important” than the Oscars. We’ve had several discussions/online verbal assaults about the Presidential race and people have complained about that. So you know what? Please just keep all negative comments about how Sasha and Ryan are running the site. If you don’t like the articles don’t visit the site.
Dearest Sasha,
Here’s the thing, I don’t care who actually wins the Oscar race. It’s not as big of a deal as say, the Presidential race. But I guess if you watch TMZ you don’t really know that there’s a Presidential race going on.
I’m here to get information about what movies I want to see and enjoy – that’s basically it. I typically enjoy well received movies with great performances, writing, cinematography and direction so that’s why I read these posts.
To clarify, I didn’t read the Bale article. I just read the headline. Once I read the headline I realized I was in trash territory and moved on because I don’t care.
Richie, making a difference
Interesting. My first thought yesterday was about his wife.
(Riding on the NY subway today, all you see are tabloids with nasty headlines.)
Sally, funny you say that because the first thing my Mother, of all people, said after hearing the Bale arrest news: “They’re holding him out for his money.”
The latest from TMZ is a shakedown by the mom. It was over money….naturally! it always is, isn’t it?
Well, I don’t think the Bale arrest news is hurting TDK in theatres: It just did $24 million on Monday, and 20 today.
On a FUCKING Monday, and on a FUCKING Tuesday of a non-holiday week.So that’s what, 200 million in 5 days?
I think ultimately, whatever these charges are true* or not, Bale’s career will escape unscathed, but Sasha is probably right on his Awards future.
*=But like that matters to the mainstream news media. Nobody there, from CBS/NBC/ABC to FoxNews/CNN/MSNBC to most of the major cities papers even bother with fucking “journalism” in the truest tradition anymore. I mean, the Washington Post reporting on the Walter Reed Hospital fuckup was like a rare occurence.
Sasha, that’s a fair point, it is a reality of the race. I guess I’m complaining mainly because I hate all the paparazzi and muckraking journalism out there and I like to think of AD as being sort of divorced from that to as great an extent as possible.
I mean, Ryan, I enjoy your posts (and Sasha’s) or else I wouldn’t be coming to the site. So perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything. My problem is less with your defense, in particular, but rather with the idea that 4 of the last 7 posts on this site have been about this incident. One post as a defense? Sure, no problem. I just feel like this is becoming a dominant story on here when it should stick to the tabloids. As Sasha always says about the awards themselves ‘nobody knows anything,’ similarly we have NO idea what happened in that hotel. So what’s the point of speculating and linking to articles from tabloids?
That said, other than this 🙂 , keep up the good work.
Awards watching, as Ryan points out, is a big picture process. You must look at the whole. When Russell Crowe was coming up for Best Actor there was the infamous BAFTA incident. Then the phone throwing. Do you think it’s a coincidence that he hasn’t gotten any awards attention since? Christian Bale is someone who is awards worthy and then some. This kind of gossip or news can completely derail his future chances. It is therefore relevant.
And a question for Ritchie. Which film is receiving the most buzz this week? Hm. Let’s see. Space Chimps? How many times have we focused on the versatility and brilliance of Christian Bale? Like it or not, any awards watcher worth their salt knows that personal lives do come into place in the awards race. Why do you suppose Julia Roberts waited until after the Oscars to announce her split from Ben Bratt? Ditto Reese and Ryan.
“Why, also, then doesn’t awardsdaily post these sort of defenses every time ..”
Maybe because this time the mainstream coverage has seemed to be deliberately inflammatory and egregious, Bernard.
Nope, we’re not going to rush to defend an actor arrested for drunk driving. You don’t see the difference here?
And he seemed like such nice guy.
Yesterday, there were some speculations (more like a joke) about what was said and it was posted here and it reminded me of The Atonement.
BRIONY: What’s the worst word you can possibly imagine?
Imagine that counts as verbal assault. Rightfully so.
I’m gonna go listen to Bale talk in NPR’s Fresh Air…
Concern over reckless damage to a respected actor’s career is not my idea of “celebrity obsession” Bernard, but point taken.
Reader feedback is what helps shape the site, and trust me, we’re keeping all that in mind.
Ryan, the legal definition of assault is to cause a reasonable belief of imminent physical harm, despite general perceptions that it involves actual physical harm (which is actually battery). So by that measure, Bale likely did assault his mother. And, frankly, who cares what the rest of the internet thinks? Why, also, then doesn’t awardsdaily post these sort of defenses every time a well respected actor gets him or herself in trouble with the law?
Thanks Noah & Paddy R.
I’m woefully ignorant about which papers in the UK are reliable and which are cousins to the NYPost. It’s good to find out, and it’s helpful that you were quick to point out the sketchy reputation of sources.
The main item of interest in The Daily Mail article is further confirmation about the nature of this “assault” .
If a tabloid paper is eager to play down the sensationalist aspects of a juicy story, I think that says a lot in itself.
Not to be insensitive or anything but I’m with Richie. I love this site for the coverage of film and the award race, not tabloid drama. It frustrates me that 4 of the last 7 or 8 posts on this site have been about Bale’s incident. I try desperately to avoid this sort of stuff because I hate it when my uninformed opinions of the social lives of actors impact my appreciation of their work on screen. I mean who can watch Tom Cruise anymore without thinking of the couch jumping and scientology? I hate this celebrity obsession…I just want to read about the films not the behind the scenes of the actors. As Richie said, that’s what perezhilton or thousands of other sites are for.
Then you probably should’ve skipped this piece, Richie. But as long as you took time to read it, I regret that I didn’t express the reason for posting in terms you could better understand.
What we tried to do for two days is beat back the gossip and remind people that these sort of headlines are ugly and misleading:
Batman Star ‘Assaulted Mother’
Christian Bale: Mom-Beater?
Christian Bale attacks mother and sister
Those are actual headines from Google “news.” Whether you’re interested or not, Richie, comments and reaction yesterday showed us that a lot of readers were troubled.
If we managed to provide a small corner of the web that didn’t jump to the conclusion that Bale was kicking his Mum in the face, then it’s worth the slight aggravation it causes to those who don’t care.
With all due respect, Richie, you can just, you know, not read it?
Noah R.,
A hell of a lot of people do believe every word of The Daily Mail. That’s the thing…the horrible, frightening thing
It’s about the most shameless newspaper in the UK which is still regarded as a ‘respectable’ paper.
“Don’t go outside! It’s full of queers, blacks, immigrants and crime!!!!!” – The Daily Mail in 11 words
Please, Mr. Media, let this come to a close! Of course it’s not as bad as they’d have us believe, so let’s not let them have us believe any of it until we know the truth. The truth which will hurt a whole lot less for everyone.
Who cares? I come to this blog to learn about films that are receiving good buzz – not to learn about who is getting arrested and why. If I wanted celebrity gossip I’d go to Perez Hilton or some other trashy blogger.
Normally I wouldn’t believe a word of a tabloid as trashy as The Daily Mail but this does seem pretty fair and non-sensationalist.
Brief line that makes my chest hurt:
“[Bale] is also said to have become depressed over the death of close friend and co-star Heath Ledger.”
Some have remarked that Bale looks wrung out. I’d like to know: Who wouldn’t?