Shocking Movie Transformations: Can You Spot This Iconic 2000s Actor?

At 51, Christian Bale is renowned not just for his commanding portrayal of Batman in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy but also for his dramatic physical transformations for various film roles.

A Chameleon Actor

From the lean physique of a Greek god in American Psycho to the heavily muscled body in the Dark Knight trilogy, a gaunt figure in The Fighter, and adding 20 kilos for Vice, Bale has consistently amazed us with his physical metamorphoses.

However, one physical transformation stands out in Bale’s career. It was for his role in The Machinist, which premiered in January 2005 in France.

In this film directed by Brad Anderson, Bale plays Trevor Reznik, a factory worker with a repetitive, exhausting job amid deafening noise where a moment’s distraction could lead to severe consequences. Trevor struggles with focus because he is severely sleep-deprived, having not slept for a year.

He spends his nights between the airport cafeteria, where he meets Marie, the waitress, and the apartment of a prostitute named Stevie. Recently, Trevor’s life has become increasingly bizarre. Who is leaving coded messages in his apartment?

Why does Marie look so much like his mother? As for Stevie, she seems to know Ivan, the new factory worker, quite well. Why hasn’t she mentioned him? Ivan, a very strange and unsettling man, appears to be constantly monitoring Trevor.

Dangerous Weight Loss

To portray this chronic insomniac, Christian Bale did not hesitate to put his health at risk. He lost 28 kilos, dropping to a critical weight of 55 kilos! Bale even wanted to push down to 45 kilos, but the film’s production team urged him to stop for the sake of his health and physical integrity.

To achieve this extreme and dangerous weight loss, Bale subsisted on just one can of tuna and an apple per day for three months! “Christian starved and exhausted himself to get into the mindset of his character. It was sometimes quite scary. I insisted that he receive medical supervision. Sometimes, to better perform a scene, he would avoid sleep for the two nights beforehand,” director Brad Anderson shared during the film’s promotion.

“Your Butt is Literally Dropping”

Michael Ironside, who played Miller in The Machinist, was genuinely worried for Bale’s health during the shoot. “I remember one day, I came to work in the morning, we were shooting in Barcelona. Suddenly I heard ‘Pssst! Michael!’ It was Christian, who said, ‘Can you look at this?’ He then turned around and lowered his trousers. He was naked under his clothes,” recounted Ironside, cited on IMDb.

“He had lost a terrifying amount of weight for his role. He said, ‘Can you check my butt? I think there’s a problem.’ Indeed, they had completely shrunk; they were sagging. I told him, ‘Your butt is literally dropping. You’re beyond losing weight; you’re now losing muscle elasticity.’ He turned around, and I wasn’t sure how he’d react to what I just said. He replied: Cool!”, Ironside recalled.

After this extreme experience, Bale regained weight and bulked up to play Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy. Yet, he would later lose another 13 kilos for his role in The Fighter by David O. Russell.

Christian’s Weight Yo-Yo

In 2013, Bale did the opposite! He gained 18 kilos for American Hustle, directed by the same filmmaker. This transformation wasn’t without harm as it led to two damaged spinal discs and a severe hernia.

He then returned to his normal weight but went on to gain another 20 kilos to portray U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in the biopic Vice by Adam McKay (2019). Later, he underwent a strict diet to lose 30 kilos for his role as racer Ken Miles in Ford v Ferrari by James Mangold.

Since then, the 51-year-old artist has expressed a desire to avoid extreme weight gain or loss. “I keep saying I’m done with it. I really believe this time it’s over, yes,” he stated in an interview with CBS News in November 2019.