Christian Bale's life is in the 'Details'

By Stone Martindale May 28, 2008, 18:31 GMT

03/13/2008 - Christian Bale - © PRN / PR Photos

Welsh actor Christian Bale could truly be labeled an inconoclast; he bucks the cliches of celebrity life and will morph physically to dramatically tailor himself to any role.

In the latest Details magazine, the cover boy talks about his many roles and notably about "The Dark Knight",

Bale is a chameleon for the role. His part in "The Machinist" saw the actor waste away to 121 pounds.

His turns in war movies - Gulf War veteran in "Harsh Times" and a Vietnam prisoner of war in "Rescue Dawn" - also showed his skill at inhabiting the character.

Bale tells Details,  "I've never believed in being an 'indie' actor versus a 'studio movie' actor—I've always liked the idea of doing all of it..."I've always had," he admits, "a slight sense of wanting to swim upstream."

He told Details his initial apprehension for his role as Batman: "I was standing on the back lot where they were creating the suit, and I had a few minutes to myself, staring up close in the mirror, just thinking, 'This isn't going to work. I'm claustrophobic, I can't breathe, I'm getting a headache already, and this is all going to go very badly.' "

Bale mentions actor Michael Caine's comments over the intensity of Heath Ledger's Joker performance in The Dark Knight.

"He was incredibly intense in his performance but incredibly mellow and laid-back. Certainly there was this great anarchistic streak to it—just getting dirtier than anybody's envisioned the Joker before. This character has power because he has no limits—absolutely nothing to lose."

He also shared with Details the effects Ledger's loss had on him.

"Naturally it was something I wanted to share with him—and expected to do so. And I can't do anything else but hope that it will be an absolutely appropriate celebration of his work."

Bale copped to embellishing part of his life story in past interviews, blaming a rich imagination and his profession.

"To be honest, it happens a lot. There are so many things which, even knowing that it was in a movie, I still feel like I've been through. And then I have to really rack my brain to work out 'Have I actually been through that in my life?' There are occasions when I've pretended to be in a firefight, and then there are people who have really been in a firefight. Clearly it's absolutely ridiculous, and even disrespectful, to suggest that I understand what that is. And it deserves a very hard smack across the face for any actor to ever suggest that they understand. But the power of delusion is incredibly strong."

The entire interview can be read here: LINK