Christian Bale: He was inspired by Tom Cruise for one of his most famous roles

Adapted from the 1991 novel by Bret Easton Ellis, Mary Harron’s American Psycho (2000) is a timeless classic, considered one of the greatest films of all time. Starring Christian Bale – who physically transforms for the first time, the start of many – the thriller is set in the mid-Reagan years and follows the psychotic journey of Patrick Bateman, a misogynistic, homophobic and racist Wall Street golden boy in hiding. Behind his superficial and luxurious appearance is a psychopathic personality that drives him to a series of inhuman murders.

When it was released in 2000, the psychological horror film was a phenomenal commercial success. A blend of horror and black comedy, the film is primarily a satirical comedy that highlights the fragility of the male ego in the context of an ultra-capitalist society. Ultimately, as Collider reminds us, we should think of Patrick Bateman less as a person than as a quasi-human being. When he tries to do “normal” things, his voice matches that of a sales rep.

American Psycho It is an officially shot film Christian Bale star. And it’s not just his ripped body and empty and commercial voice that made his performance stand out, but his demeanor, which he “borrowed” from a seemingly surprising source, another actor who helped him find his inner Bateman. .

Indeed, to create his emblematic humanoid creature, Christian Bale was inspired by “intense kindness“with”Nothing beyond the eyesSomeone by Tom Cruise…

common points?

Yes, we are talking about the truth Tom Cruise, a film icon who defies death with every take. In an interview with BlackBook in 2009, Mary Harron actually said that Christian Bale One day he called her and told her that he had a touch of genius. Trying to figure out how bad Bateman wasMartian“and how he”He watched what people were doing and tried to find the right behavior“, – met the conversation between Bale Tom Cruise and David Letterman, noting that the actor “Had this very intense friendship with nothing beyond the eyeAnd he was inspired by this energy.

Tom Cruise He has gained a lot of respect over the years and is consistently referred to as an extremely talented and versatile actor and one of the kindest, most magnetic people you could ever be around. But that reputation has always been accompanied by a muted reception: He seems to be “intense”—starting with the way he throws himself into everything he does with boundless energy.

After Christian Bale Citing him as an inspiration, we can’t help but try to find similarities between the actor and the character. Patrick Bateman takes on another dimension if you look for it American Psycho Looking for Easter eggs with similar shapes Tom Cruise ! Maybe the way he talks on talk shows, especially when he goes into “Bateman” sales mode? It can also be said that both the actor and the character try to adapt and conform to society’s expectations, which is reflected in the choice of roles. Tom Cruise with time.

Tom Cruise knew how to fit into the society around him

Another common feature: they both want to “fit in”. obviously Tom Cruise He dedicated his career to becoming one of the biggest stars in the world and did whatever it took to maintain that position.

And he made the right choice by changing his environment to meet what society expected of him. In the 1980s, he worked with filmmakers such as Tony Scott and Francis Ford Coppola, and then devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Mission: Impossible franchise. He also developed his dramatic acting game with films like Jerry Maguire and Magnolia in the ’90s and remains committed to being one of the biggest action stars today with projects like Top Gun: Maverick – and Mission: Impossible again and again.

Although he never played a character like Patrick Bateman, his other roles featured similar personality traits to the famous psychopath, which may have inspired him. Christian Bale also.

In Magnolia (1999), he plays a charismatic orator who masks a deep insecurity about his relationship with his father. In Collateral (2004) he is a sociopathic killer who turns his philosophy of life towards murder. Jerry Maguire (1996) present him as a powerful white-collar agent who questions what is important in life.

And then, of course, there’s Interview with the Vampire (1994), although Lestat’s psychopathic and murderous personality can be attributed to his lifelong vampirism – but that doesn’t quite do it justice. Faced with it, Louis (Brad Pitt) chooses a different path, one that doesn’t lead him to kill everything that moves.

Anyway, Tom Cruise captivates his audience and ultimately has a knack for adapting to the times and meeting the expectations of the moment, which of course recalls Patrick Bateman’s philosophy of conforming to what the surrounding culture tells him to be ‘cool’. “.

Over the years, the actor’s dedication to his craft has only grown stronger as his career has evolved from what it was when it began. We’ve come a long way from when he was an outsider, and now we’re dealing with a man who constantly risks his life on screen for our enjoyment – with one priority: to please every audience.

Conversely, we can imagine that Patrick Bateman might also be inspired Tom Cruise…

American Psycho is currently available to stream on Netflix and Prime Video.