Some of you might totally hate me for including Bale on this list. That’s alright, though — I’m right about this, and I’m going to prove it to you. You see, Christian Bale has been in the business for a LONG time. When he was just a kid, he starred in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun. The film was critically and commercially well-received, but it was eventually forgotten by audiences and critics alike. It was somehow a lesser film than Spielberg’s previous works, and Bale’s performance hadn’t been the most memorable one. In fact, it was rather annoying.
Nevertheless, the British actor didn’t quit acting. He polished and improved his skills, and subsequently delivered critically acclaimed performances in American Psycho and The Machinist. But still, he waited for that big break, that one chance to demonstrate his talent. Christopher Nolan gave him that chance when he cast him as The Caped Crusader in Batman Begins, and Bale’s career completely changed.
He’d been in a couple of big-budget films before, but I wouldn’t consider, say, Reign of Fire the one responsible for his following success. Just take a look at the roles he got after Batman Begins, if you don’t believe me — he starred in Terminator Salvation and Public Enemies, among other movies. True, they might not be the best films in the world, but they’re at least high-profile ones. Besides, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in David O. Russell’s The Fighter, so that’s something.
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