Christian Bale is brilliant as the drug-addled brother of a man destined to become a boxing champion in The Fighter. In tackling the role, Bale famously lost weight and the second he walked onscreen in The Fighter, it was clear that this year’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar would go to Christian Bale.
Christian Bale made it a supporting actor sweep for The Fighteras Bale joined Melissa Leo with her Best Supporting Actress victory at the 2011 Academy Awards.
Christian Bale famously lost dozens of pounds for the role of Dicky Eklund opposite Mark Wahlberg in the true story of the inspiring boxer Micky Ward.
Bale’s acceptance speech was as bold as his performance in The Fighter and he even addressed his co-star Melissa Leo’s onstage F-bomb. “I’m not going to drop the F-bomb like she did, I’ve done that plenty before,” Bale said as everyone in attendance laughed.
Christian Bale wins Best Supporting Actor!
Bale won his Best Supporting Actor Oscar by beating out other amazing performances from Geoffrey Rush in The King’s Speech, Jeremy Renner in The Town, John Hawkes in Winter’s Boneand Mark Ruffalo in The Kids Are All Right.
Bale’s thank you speech reflected the love the star had for the entire Fighter experience. “Our producers, Mark, David, Todd, (are) incredible. Relativity, and Paramount for just pushing this out there and letting people know it exists. So many movies are just brilliant but nobody ever knows about them, you know. So we’re so lucky to be here tonight and have people recognize that,” Bale said.
Moments after he won his award, Bale was backstage and SheKnows has his take on winning acting’s highest honor.
Christian Bale chats Oscar
SheKnows: Has this role now shot right to the top of your favorites?
Christian Bale: You know, every single role we do is just sort of a cherished friend. There’s a point that I believe I made in the speech is, I was thanking David O. Russell for communicating our work in a way that it meant something to the audience. And that’s where you’re out of control because you can do something that really rips you apart on the set, but if the director and the editor don’t take it and make it mean something to the audience, it ends up as nothing. And I was so fortunate that with David and with Pamela Martin, that they were able to take that and really make it mean something, you know — and so fortunate and it’s resulted in this.
SheKnows: This Oscar season you have actually been far away filming. Has that been something you think that has helped you avoid the politics of the Academy Awards?
Christian Bale: Well, the beautiful thing about it is I’ve been in China for the last month. So I actually haven’t had to deal with any of it, you know, I’ve been out of it. I haven’t been campaigning. And I always felt like, you know, it really has to be the performance that stands by itself and should be merited upon that and if I would have lost, I would have still said the same. I wouldn’t have regretted anything. I would have just applauded whoever won and there’s so many wonderful performances out there.
Christian christens his Oscar
SheKnows: Did I hear you were having a drink with Dicky after your victory and missed Melissa Leo’s F-bomb?
Christian Bale: I missed the F-bomb. But, you know, I’ve laid down many of them myself before [laughs]. So I think I know what it was all about. I find myself likewise out in the bar with Dicky and my wife thinking that it was like the other awards where you just walk on in and go out and unfortunately missed Melissa’s acceptance speech because they wouldn’t let me in. I was literally banging on the door with Dicky going, “Let us in.” And they wouldn’t let us in. That was my mistake. I’ll know better if I ever return to the Academy Awards.
SheKnows: Lastly, where is this going in your house?
Christian Bale: I know I’ll get home and my daughter will say, “Thank you very much,” and take that and stick it wherever she wants.
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