Christian Bale
The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
The darkest Batman is unmasked.
During the London press junket for The Dark Knight in the summer of 2008, Christian Bale was infamously accused of assaulting his mother and sister at the five-star Dorchester Hotel. Six months later, a recording of Bale's rant on the set of Terminator Salvation was leaked, and the star's anger began to define him.
But beyond his notorious temper, Bale, an Academy Award-winning actor for his role in The Fighter, is known for his ability to physically transform himself for roles in American Psycho, The Machinist, and as one of Hollywood's most revered and bankable characters—Batman.
In Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman, Best Biography winner in the 2013 Indie Excellence Awards and finalist in the 2013 Indie Book Awards, a 2013 Indie Book Awards Finalist for Best Biography, Bale's former publicist and assistant Harrison Cheung—his real-life Alfred—shares an inside look into the little-known personal life of the intensely private and reclusive actor. In the first biography of the Batman star, Cheung, who lived and worked with Christian and his father for 10 years, shares firsthand accounts of the Bales' familial dysfunction, Christian's morbid fascinations and dark humor, and his extreme dedication to his craft.
Aware that Bale hated his traditional publicity duties, Cheung launched an extensive Internet marketing campaign for the actor, built the first official actor website for him, and cultivated the Baleheads, an online fan community that was used to garner editorial coverage and ultimately help Bale secure the role of the Caped Crusader.
Written with veteran Hollywood and entertainment reporter Nicola Pittam, Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman uncovers Bale's transformation from shy, English child actor to Internet sensation to Hollywood bad boy.
*FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE U.S. AND CANADA ONLY*
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
One of the original adoring "Baleheads," Cheung joined the "House of Bale" in the early 1990s and diligently worked for nearly a decade to further the actor's visibility and star power, reworking promotional materials and ultimately making Bale one of the Internet's biggest names in acting. Despite the success of Cheung's efforts, the book is suffused with an overwhelming sense of bitterness Bale is frequently portrayed poorly, chastised for bad housekeeping habits and worse personal hygiene, and vilified as a short-tempered employer. Still, Cheung's first-hand observations of Bale's rising career and early roles including Patrick Bateman in American Psycho provide an interesting perspective on the making of a star, albeit one with an obsessively overbearing father who had a habit of rewriting family history and snooping through his son's belongings. Finally fed up, Cheung eventually left to work for Jake Gyllenhaal. Strangely, the book continues to chronicle Bale's career after Cheung's departure, so while the author's vitriol wanes, gossip-mag reportage takes over. Fans looking for dirt will find plenty of it here, but an Appendix A dedicated entirely to a transcript of Bale yelling at the DP on the set of Terminator Salvation seals the deal on this being little more than one man's version of payback. Photos.