CHRISTIAN BALE’S BIG PROMISE
Actor exposes genocide in new role
Christian Bale tends to be as serious-minded as the Dark Knight character he defined in three Batman films. But he does have a light side.
When asked why he decided to play former American vice-president Dick Cheney in an upcoming untitled biopic, Bale smirks a little before answering.
“I made a mistake — I thought they wanted me to be Lon Chaney,” says the 43-year-old, referring to the horror actor known as the man of a thousand faces.
Humour aside, Bale has made himself available to discuss his role in the earnest historical epic The Promise.
In the Terry George film, the actor portrays a war correspondent based in 1914 Turkey during the final days of the Ottoman Empire.
While exposing the horror of Armenian genocide happening around him at the onset of the First World War, the journalist finds himself caught up in a love triangle between his girlfriend (played by Charlotte Le Bon) and an Armenian medical student (played by Oscar Isaac).
The movie combines action, suspense and romance along with a resolve to expose events that saw the systematic elimination of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman government.
The mix is a daunting one, but Bale says he had confidence in George — the director’s filmmaking past includes Hotel Rwanda, which features the same sort of socio-political dramatic blend as The Promise.
“You have no chance, once you start something, to say, ‘I have no confidence in you pulling this off, I’m leaving,’” says Bale.
“So before we got into filming, I talked to Terry and knew that he was well informed about this subject, and I knew my place in it.”
And George understood that Bale would be the appropriate audience guide through the complexities of the Robin Swicord screenplay.
“I always try to find the Everyman character in a film, and Bale’s character was it,” says George.
Indeed, the reporter was based on assorted Associated Press staffers covering the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the subsequent Armenian Holocaust during the war to end all wars.
For more specific references, Bale researched writers past and present — from the determined American muckraking journalist Lincoln Steffens in the early 1900s to the opinionated modern-day English columnist Christopher Hitchens, who died in 2011.
“My character’s obligation to invoke a change is from Steffens,” Bale says. “And Terry encouraged me to look at Christopher Hitchens in terms of his fierce intelligence and his arrogance.”
Connecting with his co-stars Le Bon and Isaac was a work in progress during the four-month shoot in multiple locations around Spain.
In typical Bale style, he was aloof off camera with the cast and crew and tended to save his energy for performing on camera.
“I find if I start laughing a lot and get to know the people around me too much, I can’t act,” he says.
“So I always try to keep a little bit of distance.”
Isaac, Le Bon and Bale did have time for a brief rehearsal period before principle photography began.
“We did as much rehearsal as ever helps,” he says.
“And we were on set working as things were being re-written, and we did get things down, but we were also allowed to experiment with things on the day.”
Bale’s enthusiastic about the fact that The Promise’s box office earnings will be funnelled toward humanitarian and human rights groups.
And a publicity campaign will educate the public on mass atrocities committed in 20th and 21st centuries.
“I am embarrassed to say I knew nothing of the (Armenian) genocide before the film,” Bale says.
“I do know now and I really appreciate the great altruism behind Terry’s intent.”
I find if I start laughing a lot and get to know the people around me too much,
I can’t act.