Christian Bale is one of the biggest actors in Hollywood, a true master of his craft who has appeared in some of his generation’s best films. Everyone knows that he played Batman in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy, but what some may forget is that he started out as a child actor. In fact, he made his film debut when he was just 13 years old, starring in Steven Spielberg’s World War II drama “Empire of the Sun.”
“Empire of the Sun” is a coming-of-age story about a young British boy named Jim Graham (Bale) who hails from an affluent family. While staying with relations in Shanghai, China is invaded by the Japanese, and suddenly, young Jim finds himself taken prisoner and forced into an internment camp. There, he bonds with an older sailor named Basie (John Malkovich), who helps teach him about life amid the horrors around him.
A poignant and moving tale about the triumph of the human spirit, “Empire of the Sun” is one of the most underrated movies of Steven Spielberg’s filmography. The majority of critics love it (the film has a Certified Fresh score of 77% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it has a fantastic score from award-winning composer John Williams. And, if you’re a history buff, then you’ll be interested to learn that it’s based on the semi-biographical novel of the same name by J.G. Ballard, who has a cameo in the film.
Empire of the Sun almost made Bale quit acting
After making his big screen debut in Stephen Spielberg’s “Empire of the Sun,” Christian Bale went on to star in the Disney musical “Newsies” (which wasn’t even supposed to be a musical) and, over the next decade, he appeared in the likes of “Swing Kids,” “Little Women,” and “Velvet Goldmine” ahead of his career-altering turn as Patrick Bateman in 2000’s “American Psycho.” But, believe it or not, Bale almost never had an acting career at all after “Empire of the Sun.” In an interview with The Talks, the Welsh star admitted that working on the film was so taxing that he nearly called it quits there and then.
Bale explained to the outlet that, while he had a “wonderful time” with Spielberg, the experience of starring in a Hollywood production was a lot for someone so young, as was the attention that came with it. “You’re a teenager. You should be completely anonymous. I think it’s not really great for kids to go into such an adult profession at such a young age,” he said. Thankfully, Bale’s close call with retirement from acting didn’t last, but he does admit that he came closer to leaving Tinseltown than people probably realized. “I sort of dabbled, I did parts here and there, but my heart wasn’t really in it for quite a long time after that.”