“They would’ve taken almost anybody over Christian Bale”: Before Batman Fame, Lionsgate Despised Having Christian Bale for $34M Horror Movie That Made Director Quit in Rage
Without a doubt, the character of Patrick Bateman, played by actor Christian Bale in the 2000 horror film American Psycho, is considered one of the most recognizable serial killers. Brett Easton Ellis based the film American Psycho, which was directed by Mary Harron, on the same-named book.
Both the viewers and the critics praised Christian Bale for his portrayal of Patrick Bateman, who nailed the role and became so absorbed in it that he is still recognized in it today. But did you know that Johnny Depp was the first choice to play Patrick Bateman instead of Christian Bale?
Why did Johnny Depp turn down to play Patrick Bateman in American Psycho?
The announcement that the same-named novel by Brett Easton Ellis would be made into a movie in 1992 by producer Edward R. Pressman fascinated the audience. It was later revealed that Johnny Depp was being considered for the lead role and he was pretty excited about it too before Christian Bale was brought in.
The delay in the project’s pick-up was the main cause of Johnny Depp’s decision to withdraw from the endeavor that helped establish Christian Bale as a household name. Johnny Depp lost interest in the movie as a result of the filmmakers’ excessively lengthy start-up delays, and he ultimately decided to withdraw from it.
Director Stuart Gordon was set to direct the adaptation with Johnny Depp but the author shared in 2010 with Movieline, “I don’t know about Johnny Depp’s feelings about it, but I talked to Stuart Gordon a lot, and I thought he was the wrong director for it. I expressed that, but I don’t think [producer] Ed Pressman was necessarily listening to me.”
Mary Harron saw Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman
Director Mary Harron revealed in an interview with The Guardian that when she presented Bale the role of the serial killer, he told her that several individuals had contacted him, telling him that he should pass it up because it seemed like career suicide. However, Bale also said that after receiving these calls, he was looking ahead to playing the part that everyone believes will end his career, just as it did for Harron.
The director also told the publication that Lion’s Gate was not particularly interested in casting Bale for the role, saying that they preferred a more well-known actor like Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, or Leonardo DiCaprio. Harron said, “We had a huge battle over it. They would’ve taken almost anybody over Christian.” Harron exited the movie as she was firm that she won’t direct the movie without Bale.
‘He’s not credible as of the tough Wall Street guys’: Harron on DiCaprio
Producer Ed Pressman tried to convince Mary Harron to meet Leonardo DiCaprio and consider him for the part but she was focused and saw Patrick Bateman in Christian Bale. She added, “Leonardo wasn’t remotely right [for the part]. There’s something very boyish about him. He’s not credible as one of these tough Wall Street guys. He brought way too much baggage with him – I did not want to deal with someone who had a 13-year-old fan base. They shouldn’t see the movie. It could’ve gotten us in a lot of trouble.” But at the 1998, Cannes Film Festival the executives of Lionsgate announced DiCaprio as the lead actor of the movie.
Unexpectedly, Harron claimed that Christain Bale put off projects for nine months because they were sure Leonardo DiCaprio would leave—which is exactly what happened. Bale afterward stated in one of his interviews that as long as he was playing the part, it didn’t matter to him if he was cast after a couple of actors. Despite the audience’s admiration for Bale’s commitment and how horrifying the film was, Ellis shared on WTF with Marc Maron in 2014, “It was conceived as a novel. It wasn’t conceived as a script, it wasn’t conceived as a movie, it was a novel thing.”
Christian Bale drew his inspiration for Patrick Bateman by Tom Cruise’s disquieting aura when he appeared for an interview with David Letterman.
Source: Slash Film
