Christian Bale has curbed the expectations of fans with a playful promise that should they ever meet him it will be a "terrible disappointment."
While speaking with Entertainment Tonight at the premiere of the Maggie Gyllenhaal-directed The Bride! in London on Thursday (February 26), the Oscar-winning actor was asked if he’s ever failed to keep his cool when meeting another actor or celebrity. Bale took this as an opportunity to underscore what he described as a perpetual lack of coolness, at least when it comes to meeting those whose work you admire.
"I’m never cool," Bale said. "You know, not in those instances. I don't want to meet people that I see in films. I don't want to meet my heroes. I see it in people's eyes when they've watched my movies and loved 'em and then they meet me and I see their eyes, that terrible disappointment about who I really am. And it's true, what a disappointment."
Explaining that the version of him on the big screen is him at his best, Bale said that fans should "never meet me."
"And I never want to meet my heroes either," he continued. "Because they’re heroic in what they do, but you know, give 'em a break. Nobody can be a hero all the time."
For Thursday’s The Bride! premiere, Bale wore a Martini-fit, single-breasted suit from Dolce & Gabbana.
In the film, Bale, as Frankenstein's monster, is joined by Jessie Buckley in the title role. Buckley is currently at the center of some Oscars hype thanks to her acclaimed performance in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet. Buckley is up for Best Actress in a Leading Role at next month’s ceremony, while Hamnet itself is competing for Best Picture against Marty Supreme and Sinners, among others.
The Bride! hits theaters in the U.S. on March 6. Then, just over a week later, Buckley and company will find out whether Hamnet will turn its eight Academy Award nominations into wins.