A Montage of the Remarkable Amount of Weight Christian Bale Has Lost and Gained For Film Roles

New York Magazine‘s Vulture has put together a fascinating montage that shows the remarkable amount of weight that actor Christian Bale has lost and gained for 12 specific roles throughout his career. The most extreme weight loss was for the 2004 film The Machinist for which Bale lost an astounding 62 pounds to play the sleep-deprived, emaciated titular character. His biggest weight gain was that of 40 pounds for both the 2013 film American Hustle and for his role as Dick Cheney in 2018’s Vice.

From narcissistic serial killer Patrick Bateman, to his brooding and gravel-voiced take on Batman, to his new outing as former vice-president Dick Cheney, Bale is an actor who truly disappears into his characters. One of the things that makes Bale such a chameleon in Hollywood is his ability to shed and gain weight, seemingly at will.

Christian Bale

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.