‘I found him very attractive’: Before Christian Bale, another star almost played the role that made him famous in American Psycho.

It is one of the most controversial novels in 20th century American literature. When Brett Easton Ellis publishes American Psycho In 1991, the book was first rejected by the first publisher due to its extreme violence before becoming a classic selling millions of copies.

Nine years later, the work was adapted for film, and the image of Patrick Bateman took root in the collective imagination. The character of the killer golden boy is played by Christian Bale.

At the time, the actor, who was revealed by Steven Spielberg in Empire of the Sun in 1987, already had a great career, but this role, which became one of his most emblematic, was almost passed by the nose in favor of another Hollywood star. : Leonardo DiCaprio.

Having become a recognized figure in international cinema thanks to his portrayal of Jack Dawson in Titanic, the young Effie was one of the most sought-after talents in Hollywood at the time. The studio behind American Psycho considered him for the role of Patrick Bateman when Oliver Stone was still directing the project.

The filmmaker eventually left the production before being replaced by Mary Harron, who went against the wishes of the studio and refused to cast Leonardo DiCaprio. “I said no because I didn’t want to go down that road. I found it too charming“, the director justifies in the interview Ვice.

He continues: “You have to trust your instincts or it will be a disaster. They would change the script and make the character much more likable, but the plot would lose all meaning..”

Screenwriter Guinevere Turner explains that Gloria Steinem, a very important feminist in the United States, advised the actor against the role: “He allegedly told her, “Please don’t make this movie. You come out of Titanic and there’s a whole planet of 13-year-old girls waiting to see what you’re going to do, and it’s going to be a movie that’s horribly violent against women..”

It is finally Christian Bale who will become the iconic face of Patrick Bateman. Based on its success and cultural influence, American Psycho spawned a sequel that was released direct-to-video in 2002, starring Mila Kunis.

You can watch American Psycho on Prime Video.