The British-born Christian Bale appeared on CBS This Morning, Monday, to sneer that the American “genocide” and “bigotry” featured in his new western film is “relevant” to what’s going on today in the country. Regarding his movie Hostiles, Bale lamented that the film, set in 1892, has “become surprisingly, sadly relevant, more so since we stopped filming, you know, in terms of... some of Americans’s ease and comfort now expressing hatred to those who are different from them.”
Asked by co-host Gayle King to explain the “relevance,” Bale insisted, “Well, in terms of that, in terms of, in every way not respecting the other, not respecting people who are different from yourself.”
Explaining his character, an Army Captain who must escort a dying Cheyenne war chief home, Bale highlighted all the genocide he saw in U.S. history:
His job is genocide. And he knows that. He’s an intelligent man. This isn't your mom and pops's cowboy hat with black hat and white hat, good cowboy, bad Indian. It's not that as all. It’s a whole different era. It's recognizing the genocide.
Bale later described his character as "hate-filled."
Perhaps a British-born actor lecturing Americans on “genocide,” “bigotry” and “hate” isn’t the best way to promote a film. Yet, Bale has a history of saying whatever comes into his head. While promoting a movie on Moses in 2014, he labeled the Biblical figure “schizophrenic and barbaric,” as well as calling him a “terrorist.”
A partial transcript of the segment is below:
CBS This Morning
12/18/17
8:42ANTHONY MASON: Christian Bale has starred in dozens of box office hits. They include, of course, The Dark Knight trilogy where he played Bruce Wayne and Batman. Bale won an Oscar in 2010 for his performance as Dicky Eklund in The Fighter. He also earned applause from critics for films like American Hustle and The Big Short.
GAYLE KING: His new movie Hostiles is a western drama set in 1892. It follows Army Captain Joseph Blocker on a journey to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief and his family back to their native land. So Bale plays the captain. He expresses reluctance about being ordered, and ordered is the word, to help his rival.
[Clip from Hostiles]
...
KING: Scott cooper said he wrote this part for you.
CHRISTIAN BALE: Yes.
KING: Number one, I think that’s a great feeling.
BALE: So do I.
KING: But that doesn't mean you had to take the part.
BALE: No.
KING: So, you read it and thought what? Because this character is intense.
BALE: It's very — it tells the story of American in many ways. It's raw. It's visceral, but it's American history. It's violent, but that's American history as well. It's gripping beyond belief. It's all about overcoming hatred and bigotry and you see there. As you see there, he's a bigoted and hate-filled man.
KING: And so is the Indian chief, too.
BALE: Well — There's the big difference in that Blocker, the character you see there, his job is to — well, it's genocide. His job is genocide. And he knows that. He’s an intelligent man. This isn't your mom and pops cowboy hat with black hat and white hat, good cowboy, bad Indian. It's not that as all. It’s a whole different era. It's recognizing the genocide. But great pain on the part of Blocker. He’s seen his friends killed on behalf of Yellow Hawk, played by Wes Studi. So the hatred is real and he's threaten threatened with court-martial. He has to transport Yellow Hawk to a sacred burial ground. It's about how do you overcome hatred. How do you overcome fighting without rendering the deaths of your friends and brothers in arms meaningfulness?
MASON: So, it's a physical journey. It’s also an emotional journey.
BALE: Absolutely. Yes. It's one that's become surprisingly, sadly relevant more so since we stopped filming, you know, in terms of some Americans’, — some of Americans’ ease and comfort now expressing hatred to those who are different from them.
KING: You see this as relevant. You say this movie is relevant today. How so?
BALE: Absolutely. Well, in terms of that, in terms of in every way not respecting the other, not respecting people who are different from yourself. And in terms of — in terms of, you know, it's well past time that in politics and in Hollywood the white men run everything. You know, we need so much more diversity. We're going to get so much of a richer culture because of it. We didn't intend that when we were making film, but we've seen these changes, these shifts in America since we shot it, and so it's become much more relevant.
