A Brief History of Christian Bale’s Insane Weight Fluctuations

He just debuted his new Dick Cheney bod. It's ... something.

September 7, 2017 9:00 am

Do you suffer for your work? Probably, but I’m sure your lunch hour is still just fine.

Christian Bale, though? He doesn’t do lunch. Or he does ALL the lunches — depending on what his next role is.

For art, dammit.

The 43-year old actor, who takes his method acting to extreme physical measures, was just photographed with a bulging belly (and dyed eyebrows) for his role as former Vice President Dick Cheney in Vice, a new film from Adam McKay (The Big Short).

It’s not the first time Bale’s diet-immersed himself in a role. A quick overview:

American Psycho (2000)
To portray narcissistic serial killer Patrick Bateman, Bale got cut. “I believe in taking care of myself, in a balanced diet and a rigorous exercise routine,” he said. (See also: His first two Batman movies, Terminator: Salvation.)

The Machinist (2004)
Bale lost more than 60 pounds to play an industrial worker who hasn’t slept in year. Inspired by a pic of an emaciated Hank Williams being released from jail, Bale reportedly subsisted on an apple, a can of tuna and cigarettes every day. Oh, and his extreme weight loss plan might have been due to a typo. (See also: The Fighter, Rescue Dawn, Hostiles.)

American Hustle (2013)
Back to a potbelly for his role as a Jersey con man with a terrible combover. His fat training? “Just sitting on your butt and you’re eating lots of doughnuts and eating bread and everything like that.” Total weight gain: 43 lbs.

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