Remember when Bale apparently flipped out on set?

[Hollow Crown]

Well, I think this audio about sums it up.

www.aolcdn.com/tmz_audio/020209_christianbale.mp3

What has this guy become? Is he burnt out from doing too much or does he just have a huge ego now? I'm sorry, but as much as I love the guy as an actor, he sure is a huge prick off the screen. I really hope this is some how made up or something, but you can definitely tell that's his voice. I was hoping it was staged by him and someone else, but several reports are confirming it is him.

[rossbondreturns]

This is for you to ruminate over.

www.slashfilm.com/2009/02/03/terminator-assistant-director-sticks-up-for-christian-bale/#more-19351

"“If you are working in a very intense scene and someone takes you out of your groove…but was the most emotional scene in the movie. And for him to get stopped in the middle of it. He is very intensely involved in his character. He didn’t walk around like that all day long. It was just a moment and it passed. This was my second movie with Christian and it has always been a good experience with him. He is so dedicated to the craft. I think someone is begging to make some noise about this but I don’t think it’s fair. The art of acting is not paint by numbers, it’s an art form.”

And as a disclaimer:

This recording was done on a very stressful day, likely getting long in tooth. During the filming of a very intense scene. The scene had already been ruined by the DP on at least one occasion. When you're making an emotional scene at the end of a 13-14 hour day and your DP ruins it twice you're liable to get very upset because resetting yet again not only costs, more time, more money and you have to get back into character. Shane needs to do his job between takes not during them.

Bale may have been Loud..not realy and filled with bad language...you betcha...but he was 100 percent RIGHT about what the DP should and should not be doing.

[schmacky]

Bale was unprofessional about how he went about it, but he was right I totally agree with that. Why is the DP checking the lights DURING a scene, anyhow? That's stupid and pointless. His job is in between takes, not duing them.

[rossbondreturns]

Why AICN Doesn't Post Links To Stories Like This Christian Bale thing that's everywhere!

Hey folks, Harry here... I'm getting slammed with assloads of people angry at me for not posting the Bale explosion from the set of McG's TERMINATOR: SALVATION. Well, first off - there's a real simple reason. It isn't news. And it certainly isn't cool news. It is a moment in a man's life taken completely out of context and most likely leaked to personally embarrass Christian Bale.

Now, I know what a lot of you are thinking... There's no excuse for a temper tantrum like that to ever occur and if you are going to act that way, you deserve to be embarrassed by your own actions.

Except, you want to hear the REALITY behind that clip?

I know this because I happen to be somewhere where someone that was there that day and for the shoot is. And this person isn't a publicist, nor are they invested in Bale's career. They're just someone that thinks it is absolute bullshit that this moment in Bale's life is being aired and that the real story should get out there.

The DP on TERMINATOR SALVATION, Shane Hurlbut, is a apparently a light tweaker. He's a fairly young DP and likes to fiddle with his lights on set during action, which is a big "NO NO" on most productions unless worked out in advance with performers. But apparently Shane was a pretty unrepentant light tweaker.

The scene in question, was a very emotional and tough scene between Christian Bale and Bryce Howard. A scene that required soul bearing and a deep level of immersive concentration. The sort of scene where everyone on set knows not to get in anyone's eye lines, and definitely not to move lights around while FILMING. You lock that shit down before the scene starts.

Bale had indeed warned the DP on multiple occasions about messing with lights while the cameras were rolling, and Bale was in the midst of a painful scene with Bryce, what was described to me as being the emotional center of the film and his character for the film.

Now, the reason I know all of this is because the person that was there, felt that it should be made perfectly clear that Christian Bale was the utmost gentleman and cool guy on set. And the DP really was doing something that professional DPs with experience just don't do. Not during a performance.

You don't need me to give you a link, it's all over the internet, I just felt that you should know what really went down - and that this particular outburst did indeed modify the DP's behavior - and for future DPs. frak with the lights before and after your actors are acting. Not during.

Folks - I've decided to shut down comments on this story. I just really really feel this sort of thing isn't "UP TO DEBATE". I stay out of the 'personal gossip' arena because frankly... can you imagine your personal shit aired for all to see. None of us are perfect, and certainly we have all sinned to some degree. Actors, Actresses, Celebrities and the people exploited on sites like TMZ. They're human beings that I personally feel are owed the same inalienable rights that the rest of us hold dear.

Can you imagine cameras documenting your every attempted private moment. This moment was something that occurred in the heat of a moment on set between professionals. The audio is so clear on Christian, that it's obvious a mike was on him or a foot and a half above him. These are the sorts of moments that are private affairs. Yet somehow, because he's an actor. We feel it's permissable to air his dirty laundry. It isn't our business. It isn't anybody's fraking business. Will this affect TERMINATOR SALVATION? Will this give us insight into his character? Only because I found some details out, do we know it was in the midst of a scene between him and Bryce Howard. But that's accidental... and certainly hasn't been revealed by CNN or any other media, because they just run the clip with BEEPS. Is it funny? I suppose it may be. It allows regular people to laugh, point fingers and call someone other than themselves an ASSHOLE. But frankly, I find it disgusting. It's the exact thing that I made AICN to not be about. I wrote this, not to create an endless TALKBACK, but to express my opinion on the spreading of stories like this and making Christian look bad, when he isn't.

Harry from AICN

www.aintitcool.com/node/39984

[Hollow Crown]

Lmfao, I'm not listening to the excuses of this. If I acted the way Bale did @ my job, I would have been fired.

Ugh, I'm so sick of people in general turning their head the other way when someone huge messes up. What Bale did was extremely unproffesional and there is NO excuse for the way he behaved. I have no problem with him using profanity and being irratated, or even shouting. But to call the guy names and even THREATEN him with PHYSICAL violence is more than unprofessional, it's disgusting. Christian Bale is/was my favorite actor, but my God, this guy has completely changed my perspective on him.

He should be ashamed of himself.

[schmacky]

Feb 3, 2009 19:10:59 GMT -5 Hollow Crown said:

Lmfao, I'm not listening to the excuses of this. If I acted the way Bale did @ my job, I would have been fired.

Ugh, I'm so sick of people in general turning their head the other way when someone huge messes up. What Bale did was extremely unproffesional and there is NO excuse for the way he behaved. I have no problem with him using profanity and being irratated, or even shouting. But to call the guy names and even THREATEN him with PHYSICAL violence is more than unprofessional, it's disgusting. Christian Bale is/was my favorite actor, but my God, this guy has completely changed my perspective on him.

He should be ashamed of himself.

Well maybe he is. You ever flip out on someone and later regretted it? You ever been so stressed or with high emotions and frustrations that you act out and then later wish you hadn't? The guy is human and I totally understand him going off like that because of the situation he was in. It was an emotional and intense scene and when you've got some supposed professional tickering around with the lights DURING a take and you've asked him repeatedly to not do that and he does it again.. sooner or later, ANYONE would blow up.

[rossbondreturns]

Agreed and it's not the first time apparently.

"the object of the rant, Shane Hurlbut (the DP) is a complete a-hole. He yells at his crew with reckless abandon ... While I don't condone CB doing what he did, I can't imagine a more deserving target ... On PE, we NEVER saw anything close to this on our set ... CB was completely composed and professional, even during the 'trying' moments and log hours of the shoot ... for a DP to distract an actor like this is as unprofessional as the rant ... this obviously wasn't the 1st time it happened and I for one am happy to see Shane H get smacked ... again, I don't excuse or condone these rants but we don't know the full context ..."

And another:

So now that more people are coming out of the woodwork. It seems Mr. Hurlbut has a known record being being as unprofessional and as stupid as Bale makes it out to be. I guess it was a long time coming from what I've been told. Bale has been trying to get Shane replaced by Wally Pfister (DP for TDK) for a while now.

Apparently Shane flies off the handle all the time compared to this one outburst Bale was responsible for and other people around the campfire have been wanting to see this happen for a very long time now. I guess he finally pushed Bale's buttons enough that Shane finally found someone who wasn't going to take his shit.

I wonder if Bale will end up saying something publically soon or if Hurlbut will get fired altogether if he's constantly fraking up?

That said accordin to Nikki Finke's blog: They Made up and are now friends.

But if the above people who've worked with Shane on otehr films are to be trusted...then He should Apologize to Bale in return

[Hollow Crown]

Feb 3, 2009 19:32:24 GMT -5 schmacky said:

Feb 3, 2009 19:10:59 GMT -5 Hollow Crown said:

Lmfao, I'm not listening to the excuses of this. If I acted the way Bale did @ my job, I would have been fired.

Ugh, I'm so sick of people in general turning their head the other way when someone huge messes up. What Bale did was extremely unproffesional and there is NO excuse for the way he behaved. I have no problem with him using profanity and being irratated, or even shouting. But to call the guy names and even THREATEN him with PHYSICAL violence is more than unprofessional, it's disgusting. Christian Bale is/was my favorite actor, but my God, this guy has completely changed my perspective on him.

He should be ashamed of himself.

Well maybe he is. You ever flip out on someone and later regretted it? You ever been so stressed or with high emotions and frustrations that you act out and then later wish you hadn't? The guy is human and I totally understand him going off like that because of the situation he was in. It was an emotional and intense scene and when you've got some supposed professional tickering around with the lights DURING a take and you've asked him repeatedly to not do that and he does it again.. sooner or later, ANYONE would blow up.

Yeah, I've blown up on people, but I never threatened them with physical violence.

And I honestly don't think I've ever tore someone down that much before.

Again, as big of a dick the DP was, Bale should not have threatened him. Why not just report the guy?

[rossbondreturns]

My guess is he HAD...many times.

You notice how in his dressing down of the DP Bale says along the lines. of-

"You're always mucking about on set walking this way and that all the bloody time. I've never had a DP do that to me before."

This speaks to me in volumes that The DP has done it often...and been talked to often and is still bleeding doing it.

[Hollow Crown]

You do raise a very good point there... both you and Schmacky.

However, it's hard to overlook what Bale did due to threatening the guy with violence. That just ain't cool, you know?

[schmacky]

Feb 4, 2009 0:25:41 GMT -5 Hollow Crown said:

You do raise a very good point there... both you and Schmacky.

However, it's hard to overlook what Bale did due to threatening the guy with violence. That just ain't cool, you know?

Seriously, you've never told someone you were gonna kick their ass?

[Hollow Crown]

Feb 4, 2009 0:38:38 GMT -5 schmacky said:

Feb 4, 2009 0:25:41 GMT -5 Hollow Crown said:

You do raise a very good point there... both you and Schmacky.

However, it's hard to overlook what Bale did due to threatening the guy with violence. That just ain't cool, you know?

Seriously, you've never told someone you were gonna kick their ass?

Not in the way that Bale did it.

I'm no saint, by any means. I've been in a few fist fights in high school and what not, but I never threatened to beat someone up for ruining a project or interrupting something I was doing. Would I yell? Yes. Would I insult them? Depends on the circumstance and who it was. But would I threaten to beat them up? Naw. The only time I've ever threatened to kick someone's ass is if they truly warranted it and made me feel like I would HAVE to resort to physical violence.

[rossbondreturns]

When you're a method actor...who has to get totally into character at the end of the long long day. And the DP has been messing around on the set OFTEN and being told to stop.

And keeps doing this...and has the gall to do it during the most intense scene (Again) in the movie...I'd like to see how you'd handle it.

Because as a method actor once you're at the tail end of a 14 hour day and you've just gotten back into character after the LAST time your DP messed up.

And he does it again you're gonna blow off a LOT of energy and yell out things that odds are you

A: Don't really mean to say so nastily.
B: Might not even remember saying later.

In fact as a method actor you HAVE to blow off that energy because if you don't you can't get back into character.

That's the way actors like Bale work.

Just saying.

[rossbondreturns]

“The thing I really want to stress is that I have NO confusion what-so-ever. I was out of order beyond belief. I acted like a punk. I regret that and there is nobody that has heard that tape that is hit harder by it than me. I make no excuses for it, it is inexcusable.”

“In [T2] you will meet Sarah Connor. And she is in an insane asylum—why is she there? Because she is crazy. Now I play John Connor her son, and on the day that all of this happened, the scene that we were doing, I was trying to show a little of that in-the-blood craziness, and it went a little wrong… I took it way too far, and I completely mixed up fact and fiction. I’m half John Connor, I’m half Christian there.”

“I’ve not only talked with [DP Shane Hurlbut], we’ve resolved this completely. That very day we kept working for a number of hours. Listen when I’m saying I’m not coming back on that set if he’s still hired, it’s hot air. I don’t believe that. I have no intention of getting anybody fired.”

“And another thing: a lot of people that I was a bully to this guy. That’s an insult to Shane. He is a big guy. I couldn’t have bullied that guy if I tried. He’s much bigger than me—he’s an ex-friggin football player.”

Selected parts of Bale's Apology to the public.

Full file here from TMZ: tmz.vo.llnwd.net/o28/audio/020609_bale-mp4.mp4

Hopefully that puts a nice capper on things for you all.

Cheers.

[dn38416]

Theres huge irony here now.

Yes my friends, Chris Bale got explicitly biblical on a man for a pg-13 feature, so that "it was the intensity of the role" thing is gonna make him look like a nut now. It IS kind of dorky, and its not even his fault. Bale is probably the biggest bystander.

In fact, Jay Leno quickfired a joke about this. "ITS A TERMINATOR FILM... IDIOT." was essentially the punchline, which got much laughs.