Christian Bale: The Machinist. As an actor set a Hollywood record for weight changes

Actor Christian Bale from the 2000s began to quietly win the title of one of the highest paid artists of Hollywood. This person amazes spectators with his ability to reincarnate. Still: he is continuously withdrawn, starting from the age of 12. What is significant for his filmography role in the film "The Machinist", and what sacrifices had to go to the actor for her performance?

Christian Bale: Filmography and a brief biography

Christian Bale - a native of Britain - first hit the set at nine. True, then it was just shooting in advertising. Then the boy got the role of the Tsarevich Alexei in the television drama: "Anastasia: The Enigma of Anna". A year later, Christian went to the shooting in Yalta, because he was approved for the role in the film by Vladimir Grammatikov "Myo, my Mio."

Then Bale got into the picture of Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" - it was an excellent start for his career. Christian played in films with such celebrities as Patricia Arquette, Nicole Kidman, Gerard Depardieu , etc. But all these roles remained unnoticed until the young man appeared in the image of cleric John Preston in the film "Equilibrium".

"The Machinist" is a film in which Bail starred right after the "Equilibrium". For the sake of this role, Christian has evolved from an athlete into an emaciated and skinny man. Both viewers and critics puzzled: how did he accomplish this transformation in just one year? Christian Bale-the machinist has subdued both spectators, and directors. Immediately after this work, the actor received a role in the action movie of Christopher Nolan "Batman: The Beginning".

A short story of the film "The Machinist"

"The Machinist" is a film about a man who works as a turner on a machine. Normal, not a stressful profession, but Trevor Reznik somehow completely and irrevocably lost the ability to sleep. Over time, insomnia completely drove the man to the point of exhaustion: Trevor starts hallucinations, he periodically confuses reality with a world of illusions.

Over time, it turns out that the sense of guilt is the reason why Christian Bale is not sleeping. The machinist once became involved in the death of a man, and since then it has tormented him. The main thing is not even what Trevor did in the absurd accident, but the fact that he disappeared from the crime scene, leaving the person to die.

In many details of the plot one can find similarities to a whole series of Dostoevsky's novels, such as "Crime and Punishment", "Double", "Idiot". However, director Brad Anderson did not conceal his "borrowings", but directly pointed to them in the film. For example, in his spare time Reznik reads Dostoevsky's book The Idiot, in one of the tunnels the protagonist sees the inscription Crime and Punishment - Crime and Punishment.

Film crew

The director of the movie "The Machinist" was made by American Brad Anderson.

Prior to "The Machinist" he was a permanent director of the drama series "The Audience". It has already been mentioned that Anderson is well acquainted with Russian literature, in particular, with the legacy of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Subsequently, the director has often gravitated towards Russian motives. For example, in 2007, a criminal film "Transsiberian Express" appeared on the screens, the action in which is unfolding allegedly in Russia. In 2010 Anderson also removed the horror film "Disappearance on 7th Street" with Hayden Christensen, and in 2014 - "The Abode of the Damned" starring Kate Beckinsale .

Remove the painting "The Machinist" was in Spain, despite the fact that the action takes place in Los Angeles. As the producer made Carlos Fernandez - a famous Spanish football player. The operator was found in Spain - it was Shavi Jimenez, who at one time shot the "Agora" directed by Alejandro Amenabar with Rachel Weiss in the title role.

Christian Bale: The Machinist. Preparation for the main role

According to the story, the character of Christian Bale is exhausted by his insomnia. To achieve external resemblance to Trevor Reznik and fully experience the state of exhaustion, went to the huge sacrifices of Christian Bale. Changes in the weight of the actor are still considered record for Hollywood: minus thirty-one kilograms.

In 2002, while shooting the Equilibrium and The Power of Fire, Bale weighed about 84 kg, his muscles were visibly showing on the body. Exactly one year later in the film "The Machinist" the actor appeared dried and senile, without a hint of former athleticism. "I ate just one can of tuna and an apple a day," Christian Bale, who had a record weight of 31 kg, shared his secret.

In order not to break, the actor drank a little whiskey every evening. A little later Bail admitted that he would no longer agree to such experiments. However, something like this he still had to turn, when in 2010, for the filming in the movie "The Fighter", he again lost weight, but by 20 kg.

It is noteworthy that after the "Machinist" Bale got a role in "Batman" Christopher Nolan, for which he gained weight again and increased muscle mass to 86 kg.

Other actors involved in the film

However, the film starred not only Christian Bale. "The Machinist" honored with his presence another star of American cinema - Jennifer Jason Lee.

The actress became famous for her role of Hadie Carlson in the thriller "Lonely White Woman". Also, the main role went to Jennifer in the eccentric comedy of the Coen brothers "Hudsaker's Handicraft" and in the adventure film "Existence" by David Cronenberg.

In addition, in the movie "The Machinist" was involved Italian-Spanish actress Aitan Sanchez Gijon, known mainly to the Spanish audience.

Follow-up projects by Christian Bale

"The Machinist" is an independent film, and he did not play a special role in Hollywood career of Christian Bale. But thanks to the feat done by the actor for the sake of filming in this picture, perhaps he felt more confident in the screen test in the picture "Batman". Still: only Batman will be able to carry out such manipulations with the body and stay at the same time in a working form!

Christian Bale received the role of superhero, and then played in many other great films: "Prestige", "Fighter", "Train to Hume", etc.