Interview: Christian Bale talks The Prestige

Christian Bale first heard about "The Prestige” while he was playing a very different character – the dark, crime-fighting superhero Batman in Christopher Nolan’s "Batman Begins.” But it wasn’t until much later, when he read an early version of Jonathan Nolan’s screenplay, that he knew without a doubt that he wanted to be a part of the film.

Bale has already established a reputation as an iconoclast when it comes to the roles he has chosen on his way to becoming one of the most respected actors of his generation. The Welsh-born British actor got an auspicious start from Steven Spielberg at the age of 13, playing the lost boy who finds himself in a Japanese internment camp in "The Empire of the Sun.” More recently, his uncommon diversity and intensity has come to the fore. He chilled the blood embodying every frightening inch of a yuppie psychopath in "American Psycho,” lost a startling 60 pounds to descend into the psychological anguish of the thriller "The Machinist” and voiced the title character of Hayao Miyazaki’s acclaimed animated film "Howl’s Moving Castle.” Then, just before portraying Pocahontas’ husband, John Rolfe, in Terence Malick’s "The New World,” he went into deep training and put on pounds of muscle to create the most nuanced portrait of the superhero Batman yet seen in the blockbuster "Batman Begins.” Shortly after, Bale encountered "The Prestige.”

"After ‘Batman Begins,’ I had really hoped to find some very high-quality scripts, some really good movies, but I was not finding myself surrounded by them. Then, I read "The Prestige,” Bale recalls. "I thought it was a very original, unique piece about a rivalry that knows no limits—and because magicians are involved, you never know what’s real and what isn’t, which makes for a fantastic thriller. It’s so layered, you have to peel it apart. I already knew that Chris is one of the smartest directors around and that working with him is like having a very solid foundation on which to build a beautiful house—and I really fancied doing a movie with him that would be so different from "Batman.” So I called Chris and said, ‘Whatever you’re thinking, and you can tell me where to go, but I’m just going to lay it on the line. This is the one of the best bloody scripts I’ve ever read and I want to do it.’ I think my passion for it bowled him over.”

When Bale entered into a deeper conversation with Christopher Nolan about his vision for "The Prestige,” his passion only increased. "I’ve always admired actors who are like shape shifters, and Chris is that way as a director,” he observes. "I loved the idea that he wanted to radically change styles with this film. I liked the spirit behind it. Whereas Batman was a juggernaut, this huge beast of a ship that was hard to maneuver, "The Prestige” was like riding horseback—there was a feeling right from the start of being light on our feet and very free.”
 
Once Nolan had cast him as Borden, Bale dove into the part. He began by reading not only Christopher Priest’s novel but also numerous books about the lives of magicians. "You realize that their stature at the time was so different from what it is nowadays,” he says. Then, he began studying with contemporary magicians and the film’s consultants, Ricky Jay and Michael Weber, to hone his own fledgling skills of prestidigitation. "Actually, my grandfather was a magician but I never saw him perform,” notes Bale. "So it was wonderful to work with Ricky and Michael, who are terrific magicians. Still, they really annoyed me because I can’t stand when someone can do something I can’t do!”

Spending time with authentic magicians was quite revealing to Bale. "It was really good to see up close the kind of competitiveness that happens between magicians, because that’s such a strong point in the story,” he says. "It’s really about how far these two men will go to be the winner and you can see that this really goes on in magic circles. It’s a very closed profession, and when someone does a trick that no one else has thought of, you watch as their eyes boil over. Of course, because they’re so mysterious, they don’t give a lot. So we only learned what was necessary. If you asked too good of a question, they’d find some clever way to distract you away from it!”

With the tricks he did learn, Bale was constantly surprised. "Some of them just flabbergasted me,” he says, "while others were almost disappointing because, when you see how it’s done, it’s entirely too simple. But of course our movie really isn’t about the tricks so much as it is about the psyches of the people who perform and create them.”

Borden might be sought after as an engineer but he hungers for much more than that. Though he comes from a tough, lonely background as an orphan, his ambition is nothing less than to be the greatest magical star of his time—in spite of his inability to connect with audiences. "The thing I love about Borden,” comments Bale, "is that he’s all about the purity of the magic, about the nature of an ingenious idea. He doesn’t care about the showmanship, he doesn’t care about selling the trick, he simply cares about creating the most perfect illusion. He’s totally obsessed with that one thing. Like so many truly brilliant artists, Borden has no concept of how to market himself.”

Yet his obsession soon also becomes about Angier (played by Hugh Jackman), who possesses qualities Borden both covets and reviles. "Angier is merely a decent magician, but he is a great showman, an entire marketing operation unto himself,” Bale observes. "Borden sees Angier as a conman, whereas he’s the real deal. He just doesn’t understand why the public can’t see that.” As for creating such vengeful feelings towards Hugh Jackman, Bale states: "We both had completely different approaches to our characters and we both really believed in our characters, so that made the rivalry truly come alive on screen.”

Ultimately, Bale hopes that audiences will be as surprised by "The Prestige” as he was upon first reading the script. "It really is a movie that I can’t compare to anything else. It’s a movie where you’ve really got to pay attention. And that’s just what life is like, too—you’ve got to pay attention.”

At the Los Angeles press day to promote "The Prestige,” Christian Bale sat down with Movies Online to talk about his new film as well as discuss some exciting upcoming projects including "The Dark Knight.” Chris is a very nice guy and we really appreciated his time. Here’s what he had to tell us:

Question: So when Chris Nolan wants you to do something, is your curiosity automatically peaked?

Christian Bale: Inevitably yeah. If you work well with someone you want to try to strike gold again, but Chris didn’t actually come to me with this. I read the script and I called him up and said ‘I want in. I like Borden. I want to do it. I can really nail this character.’ You know, the question was could he see me as anything other than Bruce Wayne? He said ‘Yeah, let’s go for it.’ I do think he’s one of the best around and I think you’re in bloody good hands. It’s also nice to work with someone a number of times. You do get a nice little short hand between you and you can really hit the ground running much quicker. It’s nice to also see the, you know, Chris was doing a shift shaping kind of thing in terms of his directing styles between the two movies.

Q: Why did you think you could nail this character?

CB: He just was one that I was fascinated with throughout. The fact that this relies upon secrecy not only for his livelihood, but it’s for his very life, and the fact that he was somebody who saw this as being so vital and of such value to his life and pretty much the only thing that he’s valued for by anybody. That it came first. It was his first love regardless of other relationships. The secrecy was paramount and his obsession, which you know is absolutely necessary for achieving the level of skill that he does, is also very hurtful and damaging for those around him. There were so many mysteries surrounding this one character that he was just immediately the one that I wanted to play.

Q: Recently Chris Nolan said that the magicians Ricky Jay and Michael Weber that he consulted wouldn’t show him the tricks himself.  He would only show the actors and then only if it was absolutely necessary.

CB: Barely. He barely showed us as well. It was total need to know. If we needed to know for the shot, then yes, he would show us. But, that was very seldom because this movie, as you know, is not a movie about showing magic tricks. In the movie, I think rightly, Chris felt like it was optional, that with editing you can do anything. So it’s really not so impressive to watch magic tricks being performed on film. It’s centered on the one particular trick that my character develops that just infuriates the hell out of my rival who cannot understand how it’s done. As for the rest of it, we needed to show some of their performances, but it was more kind of finishing up on tricks or just starting on tricks. Just giving the impression of the magicians of this day being the top entertainers, being the top pull. And with science… I like this very much as well. It’s kind of a take on the story that Chris changed somewhat from the book "The Prestige.” This great kind of fascination and so much mystery about science itself which obviously now a days we know everybody understands it, but at that time the likes of Tesla appeared liked wizards. How is this done? People did not know exactly what he was doing and how he managed it at all. So there was that ability to confuse audience members as a magician. Perhaps some people did possess some kind of power beyond which the rest of us are able to call on. So they truly were magnificent performers of the time. That’s an era that can never be regained you know. We’ve got knowledge beyond it now. You can’t strip that knowledge away.

Q: What was the hardest scene for you to do?

CB: Well, the trouble is, if I were to answer that I’d give away some things which we just can’t give away for the movie.

Q: What was the biggest challenge?

CB: Again, that’s something that I just can’t really go into. (laughter)

Q: Any new tricks you learned? (laughter)

CB: (does some trick with his hands that makes it look like the tip of his finger has been cut off) Don’t try to work out how it’s done. It will blow your mind. (laughter)

Q: Are there any secrets that would stand between you and love or risking someone’s life?

CB: Not secrets in the way that he has secrets. That’s something which only his particular circumstances really meant that he had to hold onto those secrets. I mean I certainly agree in terms of if you’re talking family, etc., then no. I would necessarily call them secrets. I would just say that maintaining some kind of…keeping something for yourself, it’s essential in all walks of life. Not giving everything away.

Q: Are you as obsessive as he is?

CB: Listen, I think that I get obsessive, but over shorter terms, you know. Obviously a movie lasts a few months and then you’re done with it. With him, it’s life long of this one singular obsession. This one particular trick that he knows will make him immortal. So I have an obsession, but it’s a different kind of obsession. It’s more kind of short term obsessions.

Q: Earlier you said you were concerned Chris Nolan wouldn’t see you as anything other than Bruce Wayne/Batman. But you have this body of work obviously prior to "Batman.” Were you concerned that in taking "Batman” on this was going to be a problem for you?

CB: I wasn’t worried about that because my feeling has always been with anything like that it all depends on the following roles I take and just my ability as well, you know. If it turns out that I’m actually just doing different variations on Bruce Wayne for the rest of my life, well, you know what, who would want to keep hiring me for anything? So I wasn’t that worried about that and especially also because of the way that we approached doing "Batman” and "Batman Begins.” Although he’s obviously larger than life, obviously we were referencing many of the graphic novels. It’s somewhat in my mind less of a caricature than he was represented in many of the other versions. I kind of watch it and believe him as a real character instead of this sort of ridiculous animated personality. So I think that again, I was able to kind of stay under the radar a little bit more.

Q: Do you think there will be more depth to Bruce Wayne in the next movie? Will the film get much further into his psychology?

CB: I have no idea.

Q: You haven’t seen the script?

CB: No, I mean look. I’ve spoken to Chris about it. I haven’t read anything yet. I trust him completely. I’m sure he’s been coming up with something improved upon our first one. We also have the knowledge that everybody has confidence in what we’re trying to do now because the first one worked. People embraced it. Beyond that, Chris is just a real solid foundation. You don’t have to worry too much about ‘is he’s going to come up with the goods?’ He is. To me, also in the way that he adjusted the book to the movie, I just love what he did with it, the twists and turns that he’s added, the take that he found interesting. He’s one of the best around. I’ve got total trust in him and I have no problem before I turn up and read the script a week before we start. I’m actually confident. I mean look, of course I’d love to be able to talk with him more, and we will, about the actual character and where we can take that and where we want to take him. But, beyond that, I enjoy this kind of air of secrecy about it and I don’t mind not being right in there in the inner circle until Chris decides ‘Okay, you need to be there now.’ He’s need me to know about it and he needs my input as well. So far that hasn’t happened.

Q: Batman is one of the best detectives in the comic book world. Are you hoping they explore that detective side of Batman in the upcoming film?

CB: You know what? I have no clue. I’ve got no clue what we’re going to be doing and I haven’t paid a lot of thought to it. I’ll pay a lot of thought to it once Chris sits me down and tells me what he’s trying to achieve for the next one. When I sit in the safety vault and read the script, you know, being monitored on all sides and then I’ll know more. Then I’ll move forward with it from there. But before then I’m actually not thinking about it.

Q: Are you obsessive about your career and do you let that get in the way of your relationships like your character does?

CB: No, you know, look, people understand that I enjoy… One of the best things to me about this job is the level of commitment that you have to put into it, otherwise it just ain’t going to work at all. I enjoy that. I enjoy that obsession. Everybody around me, my family and my wife and little girl, they get that. They understand that and they enjoy it too. They don’t mind it. I don’t neglect anybody at any point whatsoever.
 
Q: Are you selective in terms of the roles you choose because of family.  Do you try to be as selective as you can be given your high profile now?

CB: You know, I think there’s not a single person whose life doesn’t affect the decisions that they’re making for any project – whatever they’ve been reading or experiencing in their lives that dictates the mood they’re in when they’re reading a script. Certainly I know there are scripts that maybe I don’t find interesting right now, but two years ago I would have done or a year from now I might do.

Q: Would you still do something like "The Machinist?”

CB: I loved "The Machinist!”

Q: You were endangered yourself?

CB: I didn’t feel like that. I felt invincible. I felt like I could do this. Everyone else is getting worried about me, but ‘Oh, shut up. There’s no problem here.’

Q: You still do those little indie films.  I saw "Harsh Times” in Toronto.

CB: That’s coming out November 10th. We shot it in 24 days. I mean that’s as independent as you can get. David [Ayer] paid for it out of his back pocket literally. It was all his money. It was just something that… The script just stuck with me. I read it a few years back. I read it with Dave, liked him, and just the character…he’s like a shark. He cannot stop. I find him engaging, hilarious and you know, as the piece is called, incredibly harsh as well. I found it to be topical and timeless at one and the same time. I liked the kind of raw beginner’s attitude that they’ve had. He absolutely does not appear as a beginner whatsoever. He’s achieved it magnificently. But, there was a definite lure to going from Batman where were shooting for seven to eight months straight to shooting a movie in 24 days.

Q: When you do start working out for "Batman”?

CB: Oh man, don’t remind me of that. (laughter)

Q: Did you do anything before "Batman”?

CB: Yeah, I just finished doing a Todd Haynes movie and I’m just starting doing a movie called "3:10 to Yuma.”

Q: Are you Dylan?

CB: Well, nobody’s Dylan and everybody is Dylan.

Christian Bale will be seen next in Todd Haynes "I’m Not There,” which features multiple actors reenacting various stages of musician Bob Dylan’s life. Bale is currently working opposite Russell Crowe on James Mangold’s "3:10 to Yuma” (2007). After that, he’ll begin shooting Christopher Nolan’s new Batman film, "The Dark Knight” (2007) which was recently announced.

"The Prestige” opens in theaters on October 20th.