Christian Bale's method acting in 'American Psycho' 'intimidated' Chloe Sevigny
What's the story
Chloe Sevigny and Josh Lucas recently revisited their experience of working with Christian Bale on the 2000 film American Psycho.
The movie, directed by Mary Harron, featured Bale as a dual persona—a Wall Street banker by day and a serial killer by night.
Known for his method acting, Bale's co-stars Sevigny and Lucas admitted to feeling "intimidated" by his approach.
In a conversation with Vanity Fair, they shared their initial impression of Bale's acting.
Initial impressions
'I remember thinking that Christian Bale was terrible': Lucas
Lucas, who played one of Bale's friends/rivals in the film, confessed that he initially found Bale's acting "terrible."
He said, "I remember the first scene I did with him, I watched him and he seemed so false—and I now realize that it was this just f_ing brilliant choice that he was making."
"That was an actor who was at such a completely different level already...he was capable of having these crazy layers going on in what he was doing."
Sevigny's experience
Sevigny found Bale's acting 'really challenging dynamic'
Sevigny—who portrayed a secretary in the film—also shared her experience of working with Bale.
She found his method acting "very intimidating" and admitted to struggling with his seriousness on set.
"I was really intimidated by his process and intimidated by him, and I wanted a little more generosity to make myself feel more at ease, which is my own ego," she said.
"It was a really challenging dynamic for me, but I don't think that I thought he was bad."
On the film
Sevigny was 'confused,' 'unable to decode' Bale's approach
Sevigny further reflected on her experience, saying, "I was just kind of confused, like, 'Why aren't you being social?'"
"I wasn't even that aware of what the Method thing was. I never had any formal training; I think I was just kind of 'fake it until you make it.' But the whole Method thing, I was like, 'What even is this approach?' It was very intimidating."
The film also starred Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, and Matt Ross, among others.
Insights
Lucas and Sevigny on Bale's transition from child actor
Lucas, who typically finds method actors "really terrible to work with," made an exception for Bale.
He expressed admiration for Bale's dedication to his craft, stating, "The ones like Christian, [who's] not paying attention to f_ing anything else but what he's doing, I have nothing but admiration for."
Sevigny also found Bale's emotional investment surprising, considering his background as a child actor.
She described his journey from child actor to adult actor as an "interesting trajectory."