There’s no denying that Christian Bale is one of the best actors working today. He’s also known as a guy who throws himself into the deep end with a role. Sometimes that even means a physical transformation. But that doesn’t mean Bale is the easiest person to work with, at least according to one of his “American Psycho” co-stars.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Chloë Sevigny talked about her time starring opposite Christian Bale in the film “American Psycho.” Now, looking back on it, she has a better understanding about Bale and his Method acting, but at the time, she wasn’t having the best time connecting with him on set.
“I was trying to respect his process, which I found challenging because I’m very gregarious and silly and goofy, unbeknownst to the general public,” Sevigny explained. “When people take themselves so seriously, I kind of shut down, even though I take my work very seriously and I love acting and whatnot.”
She added, “I was really intimidated by his process and intimidated by him. And I wanted a little more generosity to make myself feel more at ease, which is my own ego. It was a really challenging dynamic for me, but I don’t think that I thought he was bad. I was just kind of confused, like, ‘Why aren’t you being social?’ I wasn’t even that aware of what the Method thing was. I never had any formal training; I think I was just kind of ‘fake it until you make it.’ But the whole Method thing, I was like, What even is this approach? It was very intimidating.”
Obviously, even though there might have been tension on the set, everything worked out in the end. The film wasn’t a massive blockbuster, but it definitely has been better appreciated in the years since its release. And a large part of that is because of Bale’s performance, which many see as one of his very best. It’s just a shame that part of Bale’s process butted heads with Sevigny.