Christian Bale Unrecognizable & Bald [PHOTO]: Transformation For 'American Hustle' Role
Actor Christian Bale is almost unrecognizable in the first picture released for his latest role.
He was spotted at LAX on Sunday with a newly shaved head, a beard and a much heavier-looking stomach. Arriving from New York City, the actor was returning to Los Angeles while he films scenes for his new movie American Hustle.
See a photo here of a bald Christian Bale as he arrives at LAX.
The film takes place in the 1970s and chronicles the Abscam scandal. Playing sting con man Melvin Weinberg, Bale stars alongside Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert de Niro and Jeremy Renner. David O. Russell, who Bale previously worked with on The Fighter, is directing the film.
The actor has been photographed recently on set, seen sporting a greasy comb-over and aviator glasses.
The 39-year-old Bale has been known to undergo drastic physical transformations for his acting roles, bulking up and slimming down according to what the role calls for. This photo graphs his transformation over the past ten years. Most dramatically, he became rail-thin for 2004's The Machinist and then bulked up immensely for 2005's Batman Begins.
He rose to fame for his obsessive portrayal of psychotic investment banker Patrick Bateman in 2000's American Psycho.
The actor was chosen to play Batman/Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan's adaptation of the Batman franchise. He played the role through three movies: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
Bale won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2010 for his role as Dicky Eklund in The Fighter. He also won a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and several Critics Choice awards for the role.
In addition to American Hustle, the actor will also be starring this year in the thriller Out of the Furnace. He will then star in a yet-untitled Terrence Malick film alongside Cate Blanchett, Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman.
