Bale rules out romantic comedy role.
Well, that's at least one major actor who won't be selling out.
Well, that's at least one major actor who won't be selling out.
Christian Bale - Last Proper Bloke Left in Hollywood
- Thread starter Hermiod
- Start date
How does ruling out an entire genre make one actor above it all? There are lots of good romantic comedies and lots of bad ones, but the bad ones usually star Matthew McConaughey or Ashton Kutcher, so the odds would be good that Bale wouldn't get a bad one.
Plus not "selling out" and "McG" don't go well together.
Plus not "selling out" and "McG" don't go well together.
Even "Good" romantic comedies are usually cliche-ridden, predictable, and have stereotypical roles. I can't see them as a challenge to actors, so I'd agree with Hermiod about that.
I fail to see how not wanting to do romantic comedies makes them the "the last proper bloke" and not selling out. 
Quoted for truth. I stay the hell away from romantic comedies and avoid them like the plague.
In your opinion. Yes, there are many bad romantic comedies out there, but at the same time, there are some good ones, too (for instance, I love Kate & Leopold). Calling an entire genre "weak" is a pretty low blow, don't you think? It's fine that you don't like them, it's but an entirely different thing to say that genre has no merit.Because he's not willing to play weak roles for an extra little money. Other actors, Hugh Jackman being a good example, are.I fail to see how not wanting to do romantic comedies makes them the "the last proper bloke" and not selling out.
^Bale said it first and I agreed with him. The male lead in your average rom-com is a weak character meant only to supplement the female lead.
The last good rom-com was When Harry Met Sally and that was 19 years ago. Since then they've become little more than vehicles for their female stars - especially the cookie cutter movies Jennifer Aniston does.
The last good rom-com was When Harry Met Sally and that was 19 years ago. Since then they've become little more than vehicles for their female stars - especially the cookie cutter movies Jennifer Aniston does.
That's not what he said. He said the he thought they were never funny, not that he thought male roles in romantic comedies were weak or that the entire genre was weak.
I think all he said was that he didn't like those types of films and that he (Bale) would be terrible in them.
Which is true. He has far too heavy a presence to be a lead in a comedy. Drama is his forte, and he is right to stick with it.
Which is true. He has far too heavy a presence to be a lead in a comedy. Drama is his forte, and he is right to stick with it.
There has been some good romantic comedies. I don't think an actor should rule the genre out as it would indicate a sense of obtuseness. The best kind of actor would be one who is great in every genre.
- My Sassy girl
- While You Were Sleeping
- There is Something About Mary
- As Good as it Gets
- Overboard
I would actually argue the opposite, that there hasn't been a strong female lead role in just about anything for a very long time. Any examples of strong female characters, I would say that there's a difference between a strong character and a strong role. Strong roles, in my opinion, are the characters that are the centerpiece of the story and the character the audience identifies with most.
The stronger character is often times the character least identified with by the audience (e.g. an authority figure to the main character, father, mother, teacher). An obvious example would be how sitcom dads are almost always stupid and have more intelligent, well educated, richer wives. Why? Because the men are the stars and the wives are simply there to scold them. When the wife has a plot-line of her own, she has to become less intelligent, because of the way sitcoms work.
Bale saying no to a romantic comedy reminds me of Russell Crowe's attempt.
The Wedding Singer. About a Boy. When Harry Met Sally. Knocked Up. As Good As It Gets. The 40 Year Old Virgin. I think that they all had good parts for the leading men and any actor would be happy to have those roles on his CV.
I can sort of see where Bale and the poster are coming from here. There is an abundance of predictable romcoms, often starring indistinguishable actors, or else making decent actors seem bland and forgettable. Can't blame him for wanting to avoid them. But you can't write off an entire genre. Bale is perfectly entitled to dislike that genre and not to want to do that type of movie, but it doesn't necessarily make him a 'bloke'. And I'm sure he wouldn't slate his The Prestige co-star Hugh Jackman or his TDK co-star Heath Ledger for doing movies like Leopold and Kate or 10 Things I Hate About You.
Of course, the other thing is that not every actor is good at light comedy and intense actors like Bale often aren't. Think of Russell Crowe in A Good Year, for example. By any objective standard Bale or Crowe are better actors than Hugh Grant, but Grant is brilliant at doing the sort of fluffy romcoms he does. It's often only when you watch a more heavyweight actor fail miserably in the same sort of part - Ralph Fienes in Maid in Manhatten for example - that you appreciate how good he is.
I can sort of see where Bale and the poster are coming from here. There is an abundance of predictable romcoms, often starring indistinguishable actors, or else making decent actors seem bland and forgettable. Can't blame him for wanting to avoid them. But you can't write off an entire genre. Bale is perfectly entitled to dislike that genre and not to want to do that type of movie, but it doesn't necessarily make him a 'bloke'. And I'm sure he wouldn't slate his The Prestige co-star Hugh Jackman or his TDK co-star Heath Ledger for doing movies like Leopold and Kate or 10 Things I Hate About You.
Of course, the other thing is that not every actor is good at light comedy and intense actors like Bale often aren't. Think of Russell Crowe in A Good Year, for example. By any objective standard Bale or Crowe are better actors than Hugh Grant, but Grant is brilliant at doing the sort of fluffy romcoms he does. It's often only when you watch a more heavyweight actor fail miserably in the same sort of part - Ralph Fienes in Maid in Manhatten for example - that you appreciate how good he is.
Clearly you haven't seen Love, Actually.
Have you seen As Good As It Gets?
Well it's clear that Hermiod classifies About a Boy and Fool's Gold as being exactly the same, and that doing a McG movie for a big paycheck isn't selling out. The only thing that could possibly make him hate Bale right now is if he came out and said Rock Band was meant to be played with a guitar and drumset. 
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