“Portugal has always meant a lot to me” Christian Bale from ‘Amsterdam’ to the Algarve
To tell the story of a “friendship triangle” with a political conspiracy in the background, why isn’t there a parade of Hollywood stars? No sooner said than done. In between, there are those who insist that they are not Portuguese and there are those who sing Fado; are details of a dramatic comedy that, in this interview with CNN Portugalbet on by Vitor Moura Christian Bale thinking about the good times he lived Algarve for nearly 40 years.
Christian Bale has not yet reached half a century of life, but he already has a captive place in the history of cinema. It was Steven Spielberg who cast him, as a child, in “Empire of the Sun” (1987). With talent and wisdom, they knew how to grow and grow as an actor in a highly competitive and not always generous industry and also in many independent productions. Great physical transformations to embody “The real Maquin” (200 Batman costume) (200 out of 5 – every 2012) halfway to find clear that doesn’t look at the character. In the film that has just arrived in Portuguese theaters, he meets director David O. Russell, the same one who paved the way for the only Oscar of his career with “The Fighter” (2010); and opposite Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Robert De Niro, Rami Malek, Anya Taylor-Joy, Mike Myers, Zoe Saldana, Chris Rock. The list doesn’t seem to end, in a multimillion-dollar production illuminated by the multi-award winning Emmanuel Lubezki in the cinematography direction.
After being a villain in the Marvel Universe, he’s back in David O. Russell’s universe. You really like to reinvent yourself as an actor in each role, don’t you?
It was a very quick jump between those two. We actually filmed “Amsterdam” first. I’ve never liked working too much, because nobody likes to see me that much. I like to have some time between movies, but because of the pandemic, I had given my word. David and I started working on this years ago, that was my biggest priority. We had plane start filming, but then decided to stop everything. However, I met Taika Waititi and agreed to be a part of “Thor: Love and Thunder”. My friend Scott Cooper and I have also been planning on doing “The Pale Blue Eye” for a long time. All of a sudden, green light and everyone make a movie right away. So I sometimes had to do three in a given year. I went straight from “Amsterdam”, literally three days after filming ended, to Australia to quarantine before starting to play Gorr. It was stupendous to make films so extraordinarily different and so close to each other.
“Amsterdam” is clearly one of the films that, in recent years, has the most stars in the cast. How was the experience of filming with established actors like Margot Robbie or John David Washington?
Margot and JD play main characters, just like me. Burt Suffering, the series and Harold are people who made a pact in the pain and suffering of the Great War and to be worth anything for each other. David O. Russell and I wanted to create a “friendship triangle” that we want to have in our lives. The luck of with actors and with an incredible technique, but better when equipped in a film by David, is to roll up like manga. We shoot the script and that’s usually what happens, but we have to be prepared to do all sorts of things or maybe change how to leave and go and change what concept we have about traditional cinema. That’s not what he does. So it was very satisfying, joyful and meaningful as well.
It is interesting and at the same time surprising to see how the argument is inspired by the real years (fascist conspiracy to overthrow the US government) and highlight the notion that the story itself. Is there an attention on the world in which called somehow?
I leave that to Vítor to decide, but it is an event in the history of America that leaves us with our jaws dropped and that you will hardly know. That was something that really surprised me and David O. Russell. In all this years of ground, chins continue to drop to the ground with everything we’ve been seeing on television news. the film has become more relevant than we ever wanted.
On two different occasions, the character played by Zoe Saldana insists that she is not Portuguese. At a certain point, there are those who sing a Fado. Is there any meaning to these connections to Portugal and culture?
This came from David O. Russell because he loves Fado and because he came across the desire of some Americans at the time (the 30s of the 20th century) to want to be Portuguese in that shameful time due to the sterilization clinics, etc. right now that Portugal has always meant a lot to me because I lived there for a year when I was ten. I didn’t even go to school or anything. I loved! Ask me many times what my “Amsterdam” is. I finally realized it was actually living in a rural community in the Algarve when I was ten years old, which I just loved!
Do you miss it?
Yea! This for me to reach for life! I wanted to live there forever. But the family decided otherwise.
One of my favorite lines in the argument is yours, when you say: “love is not enough, we have to fight for kindness”. To what extent do you identify with that, personally?
Absolutely! This movie gives me goosebumps and makes me laugh from start to finish. David O. Russell and I spent a lot of time just thinking, just coming up with different cues, things I felt Burt would say, things David would tell me to say. It was left out a lot, but of course we have to have love in our heart, we have to have optimism. It cannot be anyone’s fight against the masters of the universe who are simply destroying our world. How can we be helpful? Of course we have to have love, we all like that, but the Beatles weren’t right. It’s not all we need. We also have to fight. We have to fight for kindness. So I identify myself. He’s an amazing character, the son of a madwoman. As much as you know him, I miss Burt. I really liked him. He was a big influence in my life.
Thank you very much and greetings from Portugal!
“Thank you” and Miguel Oliveira is doing great, as always! I don’t know if it follows the MotoGP championship, but it is extraordinary!
“Amsterdam” is one of the week’s premieres in cinemas across the country.