Jan 18, 2016
Words by Mark Molyneux
For us mere mortals, learning how to play an instrument takes years of hard work and dedication. Not so, for Christian Bale.
The method actor, who is famed for his unwavering commitment to his roles including Batman and The Machinist, took a two week crash course in order to play Pantera’s “By Demon’s Be Driven” on the drums in Adam McKay’s new film The Big Short.
In the film, Bale plays Michael Burry, a former hedge fund manager who saw the mortgage crash of 2007 coming well before it actually eventuated. Bale plays drums in order to relieve himself from the pressures of his day to day life, just like the real life Burry did.
The actor sought out a drum instructor and went on a heavy diet of Pantera and Mastodon as he readied himself for his big drum scene solo. It is not the first time the British actor has extended himself for a role in a film; he also famously shed an incredible 63 pounds for his role in The Machinist, where he played an unravelling industrial worker whose bout of insomnia pushed him beyond the edges of sanity.
Image: CoS