Oscar winner Christian Bale has opened up about stepping into the role of Frank in the upcoming gothic romance The Bride!, describing his character as deeply traditional in his ideas about love.
Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, the film takes inspiration from the 1935 classic Bride of Frankenstein, itself adapted from Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley.
As per a report on IANS, speaking about Frank, Bale said the character clings to a romantic ideal shaped by old Hollywood cinema. “Frank is quite old-fashioned in his approach to how romance should be – he's a great fan of the black-and-white movies where you get these gentlemen and ladies who dance with the top hats on, and for him, that’s the image of the ultimate love.”
However, his worldview is shaken when he encounters The Bride, played by Jessie Buckley. “And then when he meets The Bride and he sees this is a different animal, but adores watching her, because she’s so much more exciting than anything he ever could have fathomed,” Bale explained.
Despite Frank’s criminal past, Bale portrays him as emotionally inexperienced. “We also see he’s very naïve and innocent in many ways, for all of the crimes he’s committed,” he said. “He sees how dynamic she is and how full of life she is. He can’t quite do it himself, because he’s gotten used to a life of restraint and keeping out of the way—but he loves seeing her live that way.”
Bale also had high praise for Buckley’s performance. Though he had previously only seen her in The Lost Daughter, he chose not to study her work extensively beforehand. “Maggie had told me what kind of generational talent she was, but I don’t generally like to watch other people’s work,” he said. “And she killed it.”
Recalling their first scenes together, Bale said, “Looking at her and going, ‘She’s The Bride, completely.’ What impressed me most is that she’s wide open, full throttle, completely reckless in a wonderful way.”
He added that her fearlessness elevated the film’s energy. “You don’t want people playing it safe. There’s a danger to her, going off the rails, and she’s bloody great. Why would we do anything else?” Bale said, noting that he too enjoys taking risks in performance. “I personally get a great kick out of humiliating myself, of thinking, ‘This might go really wrong, but I don’t care; we’ll figure it out.’”
Set in 1930s Chicago, the story follows the lonely Frank as he approaches visionary scientist Dr Euphronious, portrayed by Annette Bening, to create him a companion. The experiment revives a murdered young woman — The Bride — sparking a chain of events involving murder, obsession, rebellion and a volatile love story.
The film also features Peter Sarsgaard, Jake Gyllenhaal and Penélope Cruz in key roles. Backed by Warner Bros. Pictures, The Bride! is set for a theatrical release in India on March 6.