Harry Melling Reveals Christian Bale Did No Method Acting in New Film The Pale Blue Eye

Christian Bale is the king of method acting, known for his roles in American Psycho, The Machinist, and The Dark Knight Trilogy. However, in The Pale Blue Eye, Bale’s co-star Harry Melling, reveals that Bale did not stay in character for the film.

Scott Cooper’s, The Pale Blue Eye, is a chilling detective story with a brutal murder mystery starring Christian Bale as the veteran detective, Augustus Lander and Harry Melling (The Queen’s Gambit) as his partner in crime, Edgar Allan Poe.

The new Scott Cooper film stars Christian Bale and Harry Melling in an Edgar Allan Poe murder mystery.https://t.co/7wjOje7YCq

— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) December 28, 2022

In an interview with The Independent, Melling states that he loved working alongside Bale on the Netflix adaption, calling him “one of the most generous performers I’ve ever worked with.” However, when asked if he witnessed his esteemed co-star doing Method acting, Melling was confused, not knowing what the practice is.

“We’d turn up, not really talk about the scene, and just start playing it. There was no staying in character,” the Harry Potter alum adds.

Bale also did not incorporate his Method techniques in his role as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder. He states that it would’ve been a “pitiful attempt to do that” due to his costume changes, changing in and out of his fangs, explaining he broke a nail to the crew or tripping over his tunic.

One of the most interesting aspects of Bale’s acting skills is that he does not have professional training. “I never studied properly. On every single film, I think to myself, ‘Oh God, what have I done? How did I get myself into this again? They’re going to realize that I’ve got no idea what I’m doing,'” Bale told The Hollywood Reporter.

Despite Bale’s apprehensions about his methods, he always astounds and impresses audiences with his powerful performances. With every role he receives, he uses distinct mannerisms, voices, and physical appearances to his characters, making them iconic in the world of cinema. He is enamored with his profession because he doesn’t “really have any technique,” making every role he takes a unique experience.

In addition, Bale details how ridiculous acting is and how much he loves its bizarre quality in showcasing human nature in a completely new way. He declares “I enjoy how ridiculous it is. I love something that you can just go too far with. People are f**king fascinating. I love people, I love watching people, and I get to watch them in a way that would otherwise be perceived as verging on extremely bizarre.”

Director of The Pale Blue Eye, Scott Cooper, claims this is the third film he’d written with Christian Bale in mind. In the film’s Netflix featurette, he comments this is due to how Bale portrays Cooper’s characters in distinct ways others simply can’t. 

Let’s just say we will be expecting another unique and authentic performance from Bale as the detective Landor, forced out of retirement due to a strange but poetic murder. Watch the whodunnit movie on January 6 when it premieres on Netflix. Fans can view a snippet of Bale’s performance in the film’s trailer down below.