Why do you think Christian Bale has such a cult following?

Question

I read an article about The Dark Knight's Christian Bale (Batman/Bruce Wayne) and it said he is well known for his cult following. Is that true? If it is, why? It just so happens that I LOVE Christian Bale, but I was surprised to hear that. What do you thinkg?

Answer 1

because he is a very dedicated actor,and takes his job very seriously

Answer 2

'Cult' roughly translates to 'Has done some great roles in mediocre films but is still unknown enough to be considered underground'.

The Dark Knight has changed all that.

Answer 3

Have you ever seen him in The Machinist?  Have you ever seen ANYONE so committed to a role in your life?

That and his great role in American Psycho are what made me a huge fan.

Answer 4

I think NOW he has become a A Class celebrity, after playing Batman in The Dark Knight and Batman Begins, but before he was known as a cult figure. I think he has a strong following because he is so dedicated in his roles, most notably in The Machinist (one of my favorites) and in the Batman franchise. He is also famous for his independent film roles.

Some of my favorite films that star Bale in it are American Psycho, Equilibrium, The Machinist, 3:10 to Yuma, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

Answer 5

Christian Bale is a good actor and has a large FAN CLUB - but not a cult following - there is a difference and only time will tell  - Just my opinion.

Answer 6

cuz hes a beast

Answer 7

I've been a fan of Bale since seeing his performance in "Empire of the Sun" - one of the all-time best youth performances in one of Spielberg's most underrated (and not in the least bit "mediocre") films.  He's given a lot of great performances in quite a few good or great films ("American Psycho", "I'm Not There", "3:10 To Yuma", "The New World", both Batman films, etc.)  

I wouldn't really consider him to be someone with a cult following.  To me, to have a cult following there has to be a small percentage of the audience who is utterly dedicated to the actor (or film or whatever), and who sees something great in that performance/film/etc. - while most audiences and critics don't really see anything special about it.  In Bale's case, on the other hand, most critics (and the audiences who saw the films) were praising his performances long before Batman, even if some of the films he was in weren't among the best.  Unfortunately, most people didn't see the films he starred in before Batman, so they didn't know who he was.  Now that he has been in the Batman films, he's a much more recognizable star - and people still praise his performances.

So no, I don't think he's a cult figure.  

Answer 8

According to the women I work with, he is s**y hot.

Answer 9

lol yeah, hes not cult anymore. he's proper A-list after batman begins and dark knight. before those he had a cult following cos he appeared in small films and was brilliant in them, and was very dedicated to his roles. you may know he dropped to 55kg for the role in the machinist. he is just a very committed and talented actor who has never tried to force his way into the public eye, and people appreciate that

Answer 10

He's interesting.  He just is...there's something about him that's very intriguing.  Also, the movies he's chosen to do in the past haven't been the run of the mill Hollywood fare.  He has tended to pick movies that are a bit off-beat.

And he's hot.  That doesn't hurt.