From Earning Less Than His Make Up Artists, Christian Bale Went to Secure $30 Million Payday to Play Batman in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight’

Christian Bale is right up there with legendary actors who put their heart and soul into bringing their characters to life. There is no doubt why the actor is so loved by his fans. From playing a psychopathic serial killer in American Psycho to the savior superhero in The Dark Knight trilogy, Christian Bale has proved time and again that there’s no role he cannot pull off!

However, you might find it intriguing to know that the paychecks for the above-mentioned roles varied to a great extent. While Christian Bale was lauded for his work in American Psycho, the actor was paid just the bare minimum for his time in the movie. The pay was so less that even his makeup artists mocked him on the set! Christian Bale soon left those days behind him when Batman Begins came around and he was paid what he truly deserved.

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Christian Bale Made the Bare Minimum for American Psycho

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In an interview with GQ, Christian Bale revealed that his salary for Mary Harron’s American Psycho was so less that even the makeup artists were laughing at him. After all, the star of the film making less than the makeup artists does not seem right. Bale stated that around the time of American Psycho, his home was in the midst of getting repossessed. This caused Bale to become absolute in his mission – he had to make enough money to save the home he shares with his father and his sister.

“They had paid me the absolute minimum they were legally allowed to pay me. And I had a house that I was sharing my dad and my sister and that was getting repossessed. So the first thing was, ‘Holy crap. I’ve got to get a bit of money,’ because I’ve got American Psycho done, but I remember one time sitting in the makeup trailer and the makeup artists were laughing at me because I was getting paid less than any of them. And so that was my motivation after that. Was just, ‘I got to get enough that the house doesn’t get repossessed.”

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Bale has left those days behind. Five years after American Psycho, the actor became a worldwide sensation thanks to his role as Batman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy. Subsequently, Bale raked in huge paychecks for the three films. According to reports, Bale made $9 million for Batman Begins, $10 million for The Dark Knight plus a hefty bonus of $20 million, and $15 million for The Dark Knight Rises.

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Christian Bale Was Acting Only to Get Money

While most celebrities join the entertainment industry to fulfill their dreams of stardom, Bale, for a long time, pursued acting just to make enough money to support those around him. One of the first films he was in is Mio In the Land of Faraway which was released all the way back in 1987. He stated, “It’s how I’ve supported people since I was 12, 13 years old.” The Thor: Love and Thunder actor added that since he was supporting people, there was no scope to take a break from acting.

“There was never a moment where it was like, ‘I think I’d like to take four years off.’ No. That just isn’t gonna happen. That’s not possible.”

Once again, talking about his salary for American Psycho, Bale stated that it was because no one but the director wanted him to play Patrick Bateman. He added that they all agreed on the condition that they could pay him less.

“Nobody wanted me to do it except the director. So they said they would only make it if they could pay me that amount.”

Now, with one hit after the other and an insanely loyal fan base, Bale enjoys a reported net worth of $120 million. If this isn’t an inspiring success story then we don’t know what is!

You can stream American Psycho on Hulu and The Dark Knight trilogy on HBO Max.