 Warner Brothers were nice enough to include us in the Dark Knight press day and as such we have for your viewing pleasure an interview with Batman himself Christian Bale. Christian is a swell guy who is knowledgeable and talked in depth about the movie and also his upcoming role in the new Terminator 4 movie.
Was there any doubt you would be playing Batman again?
Not in my mind I don't know if anyone else had a doubt about that. Thats something to ask Chris.. he might have had a doubt. I didn't. (laughs)
Did it feel familiar, like you should be doing this? You were born for the role?
Thats pushing it to say I was born for the role but i definitely only have an interest in playing Batman the way that Chris Nolan likes to have him portrayed. I think that this second movie has surpassed the first and it stands as a great movie regardless of genre.
Was the suit more comfortable this go around
It was heavier but much more comfortable. There is 110 parts to this one there were 3 to the original. I can move my head this time and the suit was more mobile. For the fighting method that we used the suit actually was compatible with that, where as in the first one i was having to fight against the suit in order to be able to do the fight sequences. In every way the suit was more advanced and I think also more in keeping with images that the military have of future soldiers and their gear.
The suit has to evolve but there were certain just for personal reaons, requests that I had made, and that Chris had been adamant about. We had to be able to move the head. Batman has never moved his head in any of the movies.
The joker and Batman are very similar, can you elaborate on this dynamic?
There was a great dynamic between the Joker and Batman. The Joker is gleeful to come up against the Batman. Everyone else has been to easy. Hes an intelligent psychopath and hes bent on chaos and destruction, if it means self destruction so be it. Its possible to leverage him because he is not looking for anything. He is living in the moment, living in anarchy. Hes completely uncompromising as is Batman but Batman does have this one rule. He will not kill. But he is in conflict often with himself about how far and how violent he can be because he does embrace violence to an extreme degree and has to counter that with the do good, inherited philanthropy of his parents. But absolutely the Joker comes closer then anybody has to provoking Batman to break that one rule.
Absolutely there is no argument for Bruce Wayne's altruism and what he is trying to do but there is an argument its a selfish endeavour. Curing himself of his own pain through the character of batman but I think that any good story will generally always have a connection between many events that are going around but I think that anything like that I don't like for filmmakers to tell people what they say as being the connection. Its for other people to make up their minds.
Batman find himself questioning his own rule. What is the quickest way to finish the joker and ensure nobody else dies? It is to kill him. However he is lowering himself to do so. The ethical question becomes would he not be saving others by breaking his own rule and at what point do the principals become selfish.
Did you know how the joker would be played before the film started?
I knew that the tone of Chris Nolans Gotham was one that we never wanted to have characters. We never wanted to have the actor peaking through and winking at the audience and saying hey what a great time I am having playing this funny and larger then life character. We wanted to stay serious and dramatic with each of the portrayals of every single character.
Heath Ledger completely immersed himself. He stayed in character. When he was the Joker, he was the Joker throughout. He had an absolute commitment to that. He has portrayed the Joker in a way that has not been portrayed before. He has this punk, clockwork orange approach to it. He did such a damn good job that if Chris decides to make a third movie he has created a real challenge of how do you up the ante with any villain after Heath's portrayal of the joker.
The original character in the movie says how Bruce Wayne needs Batman. You play it that Bruce Wayne would be very happy without Batman and Peace in Gotham.
I think that is what he believes and he wishes for that. He wishes for Batman to become obsolete. The beacon of hope for that is Harvey Dent. He believes that Batman should not be necessary. In a good civilized society Batman isn't necessary. If a good official can crack down on corruption and crime then Batman can return to his life as Bruce Wayne. He is a lonely man he has suffered a great deal. The more he commits to the Batman the more he pays a price in his personal life.
But I do see a point because I think he has an addiction to it as well. I think while his ideal is to leave this Batman creature behind I think that its become an addiction as well. There is duality throughout and I love that with Chris's work. There really are three sides to Bruce Wayne but then even with the other characters like Alfred there is duality. He's his butler, he serves him but hes also the transferred father figure and a mentor to him. Clearly there is duality in a very blatant way with Harvey Dent and Two Face.
Was this movie physically and mentally easier this go around?
I think this movie is more about mind games then the first. Clearly we did not want to be treading water with the movie. The character had to evolve and did so and in very clear fashion. Physically it ws less demanding because I was not coming from such a place of weakness as I was before Batman Begins. Also just having more experience with the fighting styles I was able to do all the fighting sequences myself. It was easier because of the new bat suit as well. I could breathe which helps a great deal.
The strike is looming, do you think it will come as soon as July 1st?
My understanding is the strike cant start July 1st. The studios can do a lock out July 1st but SAG has to get member authorization and then three weeks after authorization a strike can begin. So the strike is a long ways off. If I have my information correct.
I have been working on two movies. I have been doing a movie Public Enemies and I have now begun work on Terminator 4. While I am working on movies the rest of the world ceases to exist for me. So I am getting tidbits of information from people. I am obviously asking questions and finding out but I am no reliable source to go to for information on the strike. I mean clearly I hope there is nobody out there who wants to have a strike. I hope that everybody wants to be able to make a deal. The industry has been reeling from the writers strike, people have barely recovered from that I can not understand why anyone would be desiring a strike rather then make a deal.
What did you know about Public Enemies your new film with Michael Mann?
I did have to be a quick study. I wasn't aware of Melvin Pervis before this. I knew the circumstances around the era, the dust bowl and crime syndicates, but Michael Mann is one of the most thorough researchers that I have ever come across and so I had more then an abundance of information about it. I travelled to the FBI headquarters and I met with the family of the character I was playing. We shot at all the locations where the events took place. It was uncanny on a number of occasions. We were shooting on the actual dates of gunfights at some times, at the same place and the same time.
It stays true to the events but as with many movies in trying to condense a story into two hours there is some license taken but believe me Michael is an incredible private investigator in the way that he approaches his movie making, the details the nuances. He does so well and I have spent alot of time working with him.
What attracted you to the role in Terminator 4 of Conner?
In a similar fashion that Batman begins revitalized and re-invented Batman even though with Terminator we are of course continuing a mythology we are not ignoring the mythology like we did with Batman I see there as being great potential for re-invention and re-vitalization of the mythology of it and thats what I am aiming to do Thats what I feel our responsibility is otherwise there is no point in making it.
Checkout a brand new international trailer below and be sure to check back for our interviews with the director Christopher Nolan and Gary Oldman!
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