Christian Bale States That He Would Be More than Content with Retirement.

Academy Award winning actor, Christian Bale opens up about his plans for a potential retirement from acting, revealing that he would be happy to retire soon.

Bale has been in this profession since childhood. His first big role was under the guidance of Steven Spielberg in the 1987 movie, Empire of the Sun. He then appeared in films like Swing Kids and Newsies before making a major impact by playing the role of Patrick Bateman in the iconic film, American Psycho.

Bale is known for his forte in playing twisted, nuanced and dark characters. He played such roles in films such as The Prestige and The Machinist, after landing the role of Batman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy.

Bale’s performance as Dicky Ecklund in the 2010 film, The Fighter, landed him his first Academy Award nomination and win. During his illustrious career, he has worked with several prolific filmmakers, such as David O. Russell, James Mangold, Scott Cooper, and Ridley Scott.

He was last seen this year in the MCU movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, where he played the main antagonist, Gorr. He has again collaborated with David O. Russell for his new project, Amsterdam.

In a recent conversation with GQ, Bale revealed that he would be “more than content” to retire from acting. The Oscar-winning actor further mentioned that he wants to pursue other interests besides acting, and enjoys long stretches when he does not have to pretend to be someone else.

Check out what he said below –

“More than content: f***ing ecstatic. I’ve always been bent on “When’s this gonna end? This has to end.” I like doing things that have nothing to do with film. And I find myself very happily not playing dress-up, not pretending to be somebody else for long lengths of time.”

Bale’s approach to acting is probably what has made him so tired of his own profession. The Batman actor is known for his intense approach in preparing for each role. For The Machinist, Bale lost 110 pounds, after reportedly starting with 173 kgs. This left him emaciated and unwell.

Right after he finished shooting for The Machinist, he quickly gained weight to bulk up for his role in Batman Begins. He again ended up losing weight for characters that required it, such as Rescue Dawn and The Fighter.

Bale has always been an actor who has gone above and beyond to prepare for his character, which is what makes most of them iconic performances. However, putting one’s body through such turmoil is not only unhealthy, but also tiring and exhausting.

Apart from his physical looks, Bale also works hard to know his characters in and out, meets real-life people he often portrays and avoids actors who make him break character. It is understandable that Bale is now tired of his craft, as he has already poured his heart out into the craft for years.

However, the good news is that although Bale mentioned he is keen on retirement, he is still working, with Russell’s Amsterdam and Scott Cooper’s The Pale Blue Eye due for release later. It may take him a few more years to completely retire from acting. But we hope he continues to be a part of the filmmaking process in one way or the other, perhaps in an advisory role.