Why Christian Bale Used To Get Weirded Out By His American Psycho Fame

In an interview with GQ, Christian Bale broke down his most iconic characters — starting with Patrick Bateman of "American Psycho." He revealed that he visited Wall Street trading floors while prepping for the film to get a feel for the job. And there, Bale had memorable encounters with people familiar with the character from Bret Easton Ellis' book.

Bale explained, "A bunch of [Wall Street workers] were going, 'Oh, Patrick Bateman!' and patting me on the back and going, 'Oh yeah, we love him!'" In response, Bale would ask if they meant ironically, to which the Wall Street workers wouldn't know what he meant. Naturally, for anyone who has read the book or seen the film — and witnessed Patrick's behavior — this enthusiastic (and unironic) response from the Wall Street workers isn't exactly expected.

Bale continued, "So it was always worrying, even back then. But you know, clearly, it's a satire on capitalism in the '80s, and as such is so bloody far-fetched and ridiculous that, you know, to me, I can't help but think it's hilarious."