Six Reasons Christian Bale Is the Most Underrated Actor of All Time

Hollywood is undoubtedly indebted to Christian Bale for the sensation he is onscreen. But the man who has delivered so much with his impeccable acting skills is an ‘underrated’ actor too. While each performance of Bale is to perfection, it is sporadic that he gets the credit he deserves. He deserves more respect and a justifiable honor for every role he does. Bale truly takes the films a notch higher.

There was a time when he was just an actor. However,  today he is better known as a ‘character actor’ or a ‘method actor.’ His choice of films stands testimony to the same. This journey will make you question why the screen legend doesn’t get his due credit.

Proved Calibre At A Young Age

Remember the 1987 movie, Empire of the Sun? None but only Bale could have set the screen on fire by portraying the role of an English boy, Jim. The struggle of Jim to survive under the Japanese profession during World War II is moving.  He was only 13, and one would never expect a teenager to pull off the role with so much perfection.

This is all the truer when acting with stalwarts like John Malcovich and a timeless director as Spielberg. But Bale proved everyone wrong and discovered his landing.

A Director’s Actor

With every film, the experience that an actor gain puts him in a position to offer inputs when necessary. Bale is no different. And the directors have a great time casting him, solely because he knows how to slip into the character he is playing. That’s more important as he has a strong understanding of the psyche of the director. Of course, he is a convincing actor and one of the talented ones in the industry. But getting deep into every role is not the prowess of everyone.

Gifted Truly

As one of the most dedicated actors in Hollywood, Bale has the rare ability to transform himself into any role to suit the requirements of the movie. Be it, Patrick, in American Psycho or Jim in Empire of the Sun or the superhero Batman in Nolan’s Batman Trilogy.

Christian Bale proves his mettle in movies that have a vast distinction with one another. His career span is a prolonged one. In all these years, when he has proven his might so well, the industry needs to ponder about their contribution to the man.

Perfect for Every Role

Doesn’t that sound a bit clichéd? But that’s reality! Christian Bale is always excellent for every role he is chosen for. His list of performances in films like The Machinist, The Prestige, or American Psycho is just a handful that brought out the master in him. But when you hear any director saying, ‘Wow, I’ve picked him for this or that.’ This is just because the man gets to the skin and root of the role and delivers it in a ‘5-star’ manner. The way he trains for any role will put shame to many other so-called celebrated ones.

Prestigious Position Retained

The fight for supremacy is the central theme of the 2006 Nolan mystery drama film, The Prestige. A strange system, possibly an illusion gone wrong, gets two magicians angry at each other. Neither Hugh Jackman nor Christian Bale can be compared when it comes to assessing their onscreen feud.

But yes, watch it for Bale and his terrific performance. Even the director couldn’t stop praising the man who supposedly read the book before ‘getting in.’ This is despite Nolan being against the actors reading the novel.

Versatility Discovered in Every Film

Who would have thought that a gracile man would assert a pot-bellied scam artist so well in American Hustle? And that too just after a couple of years of Batman’s release? On the one hand, you discover someone so brooding or the psychotic one in thrillers, and here you have an Irving Rosenfeld who brings an incredible range of comic timing. Undoubtedly, the aged character Bale embodies brings the truth about how mature he has become over the years.

Bale’s fun and engaging performances over the years continue to this day when he keeps striving for even better at the age of 46. No comparisons here, but Christian Bale is perhaps the most outstanding among actors in Hollywood today. He is supremely talented, yet underrated and maybe more spectacular films are what it’ll take to discover the phenomenon he is.