Christian Bale Weight Gain: Actor Shows Off Beer Belly in 'American Hustle' Trailer (VIDEO)
Christian Bale's weight gain for movie "American Hustle" was showcased in the second trailer for the film that was released. The actor, who plays Irving Rosenfeld, a con man recruited to work for the FBI.
Christian Bale gained weight for the role, transforming his body into that of a man out of shape, complete with a bulging beer belly and a comb-over. The 70s-era hustler movie also features Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams, who plays Rosenfeld's mistress and partner in crime.
"He wasn't in necessarily good shape, and he had this comb over that was … elaborate," Adams says in the trailer. "But he had this confidence that drew me to him."
Bale's versatility in gaining and losing weight for roles has long been lauded by moviegoers. In the revamped Batman trilogy ending with "TheDark Knight Rises," the actor managed to gain 109 pounds in only six months. For another role as an insomniac in "The Machinist," he lost 70 pounds.
"Believe me, I don't go looking for these things," Bale told Access Hollywood in 2010. "If it does happen, it's like, 'Oh damn, I have to do that again,' because I just tend to fall or the movie, the character, and then I'll realize, 'Oh man, I gotta do that.'"
However, some critics have called the actor's repeat weight transformations a gimmick— it's widely known in Hollywood that an easy way to garner publicity for a project is through weight gain. Bale dislikes the comparison, though.
"To be honest, I find it laughable that it's considered to be some f------ gimmick— it's so patronizing. For God's sake, do people not understand what a pain it is to do?" he said while discussing his role as drug addict Dicky Eklund in "The Fighter" previously. "It's as though it's some comment about, 'Oh it's easy for him, because he's done it a bunch of times."
"It's not easy, it's not fun— it's horrible," he added.
