Bale-ful Tantrums: Cut Him Some Slack
Oh, Christian Bale. Who speaks for you?
The actor’s on-set tantrum got quite a bit of attention this week on local and entertainment news programs, and was severely mocked on most or all of the late night talk shows. It became part of a new mash-up with a years-ago snit by then-“Inside Edition” anchor Bill O’Reilly. Video after the jump.
Well, here’s a funny thing: I had a temper tantrum here at work this week, also. Here’s a funnier thing: I was mad about our newscast over-promoting the Christian Bale story. Tonight on the “PIX News at 10” we’re running another story, about his apology today. And here I am blogging about the whole thing. I think my head hurts.
But I come tonight not to bury Mr. Bale. I don’t exactly come to praise him, either, but I do come to suggest a different perspective on his behavior, namely this: what if the person at whom he’s so profanely screaming on that clip really WAS being unprofessional? What if he WAS being a repeated distraction to an actor who’s probably being expected to carry a $150-million movie, and all the big scenes in it, on his shoulders? Isn’t a display of temper and impatience a little more understandable, maybe even responsible, seen that way? I mean, say what you will; whatever that dude getting screamed at was doing, I’ll bet he didn’t do it again!
Same with O’Reilly. Sure it’s his over-the-top anger that gets mocked, but if you watch the whole clip, he’s repeatedly trying, somewhat more calmly at first, to correct a mistake that then keeps happening over and over again. So he lost it. Maybe he’d had a bad day. I’m only saying that tantrums thrown in the interests of getting something completely right aren’t always completely wrong.
Except to the extent that they damage the image of the famous person having the meltdown. Everything is getting recorded or photographed now. Ask our amphibious friend Michael Phelps right about now about the consequences of that. I was wondering how many fits Errol Flynn or Bette Davis or Marlon Brando threw on their movie sets. According to their biographers, quite a few; but there wasn’t any gaffer with a camera phone standing a few feet away ready to put it on the internet for the world to see. Being a human being, so to speak, isn’t an option for the superstars of today, many of whom got to where they are in the first place by having the talent to keep powerful emotions available and at the surface.
But I understand it’s more fun to say they’re “divas,” and “difficult” than it is to sort out their motives in that moment. As I said, Bale apologized today. I felt bad about my tantrum, also. Whatever is bugging someone, famous or not, screaming at the top of his or her lungs is rarely productive. But it’s somewhat understandable, if the goal is a worthy one.
Comments: 16
Hey Jim,
I have to say, it's to imagine YOU having a tantrum! But I can imagine there must be nights, when your newscasts shows the wrong video or we can't hear you, that it might be downright proper to ask, forcefully, for the error to be fixed. I'm in sales, and when a pitch stalls due to a (completely avoidable) technical malfunction, or outdated materials, well, it's my A*% on the line. I've lost deals over seemingly little errors like that, and it's my commission that goes down the drain.
So your point, that Christian Bale's (and everyone else's) "commission," on a film is riding on his A#$, I do get it.
And yes you are right: talented actors got there in the first place by keeping "powerful emotions available at the surface." Extremely, well said, you.
Do you write the lines for the news broadcast also?
Laurie from Jersey
I did hear that the guy that Bale was yelling at...he has a not very stellar rep in his field, so I'm with you. Sometimes, you just gotta get some folk's attention.
Actors are expected to carry the movie, like Laurie said. *They*, along with the people doing the sounds and lights are supposed to make *us* want to see the flick. With that said, do/should we really care how they act? And should the *news* really put so much light on it? Don't we have outlets for these sort of things (E!, TMZ, Extra, etc.)?
Until we see a clip of Jim having a hissyfit, I really could care less about the outbursts of celebs. Surely news stations could find some other offbeat news to fill those few minutes up? (Of course celebs "sell" on the news so I guess it was a pretty futile request...)
Anyway, if I want to keep hearing Bale or any overpaid actor prat on, I could lose myself with any of those above programs.
Everyone should give Bale a break. I'm sure we've all lost our tempers before. He was just unlucky enough to have it recorded and shown on tv, played on the radio and the internet. He's only human, like the rest of us.
Hi Jim,
Like they said in the old days, they both should have their mouths washed out with SOAP!!!
Lee
profanitywillgetyouattentionthatisforsure
I saw the movie "Eyes Wide Shut". What a convoluted story line. The last word in the movie was F**k. Is it really necessary?
Lee
likesprettywordsinmyworldandwouldhatethegrandkids
tohearthisbutIamsuretheywillcomeacrosscursingsometimeduringtheirlitlelives
NO MATTER HOW MAD ONE GETS, ONE DOES NOT HAVE TO USE FOUR LETTER WORDS TO GET THEIR POINT ACROSS. ONE CAN YELL AND SCREAM AS MUCH AS YOU CAN - IT CAN BE DONE WITH THE PROPER LANGUAGE.
I was thinking about the Bale issue and I think he should have used better judgment. I agree with Rhoda, you can certainly scream and yell and get your point across. Cursing is an attention grabber. It's not nice, because, it is an unacceptable way to behave. Adults should know better, however, I can understand that there are situations that get out of control, and cursing just comes out of one's mouth. I wonder if he does this everytime he gets "mad", or maybe he hears cursing a lot in his real life.
Who knows and who cares? It is just that if you have to hear the vulgar remarks, it can send you into a tizzy and you might want to strike back. I've certainly been there. Anyone who has been divorced or in a divorce battle could claim their battle scars in the world of foul language.
Lee
youcanchangeyourwayofspeakingifyoutryhard
Jim, listening to you and kaity talk after a story, I just have one thing to say. Keep your opinions to yourself.
When you and your co-workers, especially from other new york stations, say something after a story its pathetic. You get paid reporting on other peoples problems and get very over paid for it. Like six, seven and in some cases eight figure salaries
.
Then you all complain about making it to the weekend, oh gee
is the gigantic paycheck not insentive enough to go to work, which for you is 1 hour of reading a script off of a prompter
Years ago, I saw Joe Garagiola (spelling not sure), curse on TV, because they didn't cut the tape in time. I believe he had to make a public apology on TV. I also saw something on a TV show that wasn't cut to tape in time, so there was a little nudity, that wasn't suppose to be there. There are mistakes made, but rarely. Again, the show had to make an apology and re-show the tape the way it was suppose to be.
The times we live in are lax, and nobody gives a damn, what people do. It's like everything is ok. I don't know if it is good or bad. I like a little mystery and a little class. I would rather not see or hear an actor or person curse.
Hey, I'm not perfect either, and I've had my moments, when I have been pushed to the limit. Goes to show you, there are always exceptions. It is the end result that counts.
Lee
???
I saw Kate Winslet on the View, and she got 2 golden globe awards for The Reader and another movie that escapes me. A young Helen Mirran, a woman not afraid to strip before the camera, and she was THE QUEEN, however, Winslet did her nude scenes in front of her husband, who was the producer of one of those movies. I think Hollywood loves this kind of stuff,and I don't applaud it. I would rather have a class act like Meryl Streep get the Oscar. She can do anything without taking it all off. The old movies like AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER, left you with such a good feeling, and everything was left to your imagination. I don't believe the shock of nudity is necessary. There is no creativity anymore.
Real life is one thing, the screen is another. It cracks me up when these Hollywood biggies want a "closed set" to do these scenes, when after they are shot, the whole world sees them anyway. This plays 2 ends against the middle, or is it somewhat of a double standard? Since My Cousin Vinny and Moonstruck in the 80's, movies have taken a nose dive.
Even Marisa Tomei shocked me. I guess I live in Little House on the Prarie land. Michael Landon was a wonderful man *although he liked women, he was a wonderful father and a wonderful man. I met him and his third wife when I was younger.
Lee
*thehighlightofmyyoungyearswaswhenIfirstmetLandon
I have found this blogging so addicting, and it takes me into another realm.
OMG Lee
I have beenatching your news program for a long time ,I cant believe Al Sharpton and the likes every thing one does is about race you cannot offend blacks and have to be always politically correct or else the cartoon is about the badpackage that was passed by congress if it was George Bush it would have been funny , now no one can say or do anything to offend their Messiah Enough already I am not white or black but God help us as Americans...........db
I have beenatching your news program for a long time ,I cant believe Al Sharpton and the likes every thing one does is about race you cannot offend blacks and have to be always politically correct or else the cartoon is about the badpackage that was passed by congress if it was George Bush it would have been funny , now no one can say or do anything to offend their Messiah Enough already I am not white or black but God help us as Americans...........db
I have beenatching your news program for a long time ,I cant believe Al Sharpton and the likes every thing one does is about race you cannot offend blacks and have to be always politically correct or else the cartoon is about the badpackage that was passed by congress if it was George Bush it would have been funny , now no one can say or do anything to offend their Messiah Enough already I am not white or black but God help us as Americans...........db
I have beenatching your news program for a long time ,I cant believe Al Sharpton and the likes every thing one does is about race you cannot offend blacks and have to be always politically correct or else the cartoon is about the badpackage that was passed by congress if it was George Bush it would have been funny , now no one can say or do anything to offend their Messiah Enough already I am not white or black but God help us as Americans...........db