It’s been well over a decade since Christian Bale last donned the cape and cowl to play Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, but many still discuss his performance. As far as live-action Batman actors go, Bale is still praised for his portrayal of Gotham City’s defender and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne. Bale is a smart performer and he seemed to truly commit himself playing the iconic DC character. And, now, I need to rewatch one particular installment after hearing about one funny method he used to get through a scene.
2012’s The Dark Knight Rises sees the Bat going up against the imposing Bane, who’s played by Tom Hardy. The two characters share some tense scenes in the film, which are exciting to watch. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the first time I saw Hardy’s muscle-bound antagonist beat down the Caped Crusader and break his back. However, not all of that material was easy for both of the seasoned actors to film, as they weren’t always able to hear each other. Bale recalled:
The thing that would happen between me and Tom, who's superb, by the way, what an actor, he's fantastic…. We were so far apart, and I couldn't hear what he was saying because there was so much noise and he couldn't hear what I was saying. ‘Cause there was so much noise. Every time Chris was going, Chris Nolan, the director, was going ‘Guys, you're not answering each other?’ We can't hear anything.
First off, this behind-the-scenes detail reframes the way I look at some of those epic moments but, when I really think about it, it makes sense that the two stars wouldn’t be able to hear each other’s dialogue. During their confrontation scenes, there’s a lot going on, especially during that final battle for Gotham at the end of Dark Knight Rises. Nolan is obviously a clever filmmaker, but it was his actors who managed to find a solution to this little issue, as Bale explained to Heart:
So Tom and I — I would say my line, and then I would go like [raises finger] with my finger and he'd know I'm done, your turn. And then he would do his bit. And then he'd go like that. [raises finger] But a bit more, you know, discreet than that. Hopefully, no one notices it in the feature film, but that was how we communicate.
I’m trying my best to imagine Hardy and Bale – all decked out in their costumes – and raising their fingers in order to cue each other. Considering Nolan works with some sharp editors, I’m not completely sure I’d be able to find a moment in which either of the actors actually use the signal. However, I’m more than eager to throw on the film again in the slight hope that I might find something. That aside, though, I’m just glad the two co-stars were able to work through that dialogue-related snafu.
While some viewers may have their nitpicks with Christian Bale’s version of The World’s Greatest Detective (like his Batman voice), he does an excellent job of portraying the duality between Bruce and the Bat. Believe it or not, Bale has actually taken issue with his performance, opining that he “didn’t quite nail it.” Of course, I’m not surprised by such a comment, considering how seriously the Oscar winner takes his work.
Bale has, of course, played a plethora of other roles since playing the famed superhero, though he is willing to play the character again. However, the one condition he has for a Bat reprisal is that Christopher Nolan be involved and, given the filmmaker has moved on, I’d say it’s likely that Bale has hung up the costume for good. Still, if he were to come back, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d use that same trick in order to be cued to deliver dialogue.
If you’re like me and now have a desire to rewatch The Dark Knight Rises, grab an HBO Max subscription to stream it alongside the other films in the Dark Knight Trilogy. And anyone looking for new fare should read up on upcoming superhero movies.
