Harrison Cheung - Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman

When [Cheung] refers to himself as Bales majordomo, he is not kidding.

N.F. Mendoza, former journalist at
Los Angeles Times, People, TV Guide

This intimate and revealing biography of Christian Bale is full of details few people know about Hollywoods most-lauded Batman, and how a child actorby harnessing his fans on the Internetbecame the star he is today.

BraveNewHollywood.com

Harrison Cheungs groundbreaking work in Internet marketing during the mid-90s established Christian Bale as the first major web celebrity, making my work as a journalist that much easier. Thanks to Harrison, many a major publication, including USA TODAY and the Chicago Tribune, took my profile pitches on this brilliant but largely unknown actorbecause of his cyber-popularity.

Moira McCormick, journalist

The book is gooda fun, informative read.

Christopher Heard, author and film historian

Christian

Bale

The Inside Story of

the Darkest Batman

HARRISON CHEUNG AND NICOLA PITTAM

BENBELLA BOOKS, INC. | DALLAS, TEXAS

FOR DISRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA ONLY.

Copyright 2012 by Harrison Cheung and Nicola Pittam

Introduction 2012 by Harrison Cheung and Nicola Pittam

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

BenBella Books, Inc.

10300 N. Central Expressway

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Dallas, TX 75231

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this title.

978-1-936661-77-0

Editing by Erin Kelley

Copyediting by Eric Wechter

Proofreading by Michael Fedison and Chris Gage

Cover design by Kit Sweeney

Text design and composition by Neuwirth & Associates, Inc.

Printed by Bang Printing

Distributed by Perseus Distribution

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Contents

I dont want people to know me.

Christian Bale, Esquire, December 2010

The truth will set you free. But first, itll piss you off.

Gloria Steinem

We know very little about Christian Bale the man because he is intensely private. That is his right, and should be respected, within reason. After all, any serious movie actor who doesnt realize hes choosing the most public of careers when he signs on ought to have his head examined.

John Farr, Huffington Post

H eres how it is. Im always asked two questions about Christian Bale. One: Whats he like? Two: How did I end up working for him for almost a decade?

Christian is one of the most secretive and talented stars in Hollywood with a reputation for an incredibly volatile temper and numerous eccentricities. Although pop psychologists can debate nature versus nurture, the fact remains that Christian is a former child actor with an unusual family upbringing and circumstance who grew into a man with a deep need for privacy. In many ways, he is also a man without a countryan actor in Hollywood whos always reminded that hes Britishthe first foreigner ever to play the iconically American role of Batman. These factors are just part of his development that would cultivate an explosive temper that would rival Mel Gibsons.

My involvement with Christian was initially a fans dream. Im delighted to tell the story of how I met Christian and got involved with his career because one of Christians agents had warned me never to tell anyone. The agent thought our story would empower and encourage fans, and that was something he was absolutely against because like any good Hollywood player, he was loath to acknowledge any cultural influences aside from his own.

The influence of The Fan has always been underestimated, indeed scorned in the corner offices of the talent agencies. Why? The agents and the studios want to be the sole influencers of what you watch, rent, wear, and buy. However, when fan power is orchestrated, coordinated, and directed effectively, great things can happen. Star Trek? Family Guy? Firefly? Betty Whites Facebook campaign to host Saturday Night Live? Justin Biebers discovery on YouTube? There are so many examples of fan-power saving a series, influencing casting, and championing a book. So now you get the limos at Comic-Conits Hollywoods begrudging acknowledgment that fans matter.

I started off as a fan of Christian Bales. I think there are different levels of fandom. You first notice an actor. Then you make a point of watching whatever movie that actor is in. Then theres a big shift to activismyou want all your friends to watch him. You write a fan letter. You meet up with other fans to share experiences. But I managed to reach another level that few fans can achieve: I had the opportunity to directly influence Christians career.

I ended up taking care of many aspects of Christians lifeas his assistant, publicist, and marketer. I read scripts, followed book projects, got him press coverage, handled his Internet marketing, and replied to his fan mail. I looked after his house and his pets when he was away on location. I took care of his father, his finances, his immigration issues. I had to laugh when people would describe me as the real-life Alfred to his Bruce Wayne.

Through Christians ups and down, I saw a very talented person struggle to survive in the entertainment industry. Christian was the ultimate Hollywood outsidera former child actor who was pressured into show business by a determined single parent; a British teen reluctantly relocated to a new country, stuck with the burden of being a foreigner, and both a failed Disney and Spielberg kid. He dealt with soul-tearing family conflicts and betrayals and faced confidence-shattering discrimination and stereotyping. Its no wonder that he developed his ability into transforming himself physically for different roles. I could see that it was his way of coping, of running away from who he really was.

This book is Christian Bales biography, but its also the untold story of a child actor and how he became the Internets first star. Its the true story of how a British actor got to play a quintessentially American antiheroBatman. There is no other actor in Hollywood in recent times who owes so much to the contribution of his fans.