The saying goes, ‘never meet your heroes,’ as they can be very different compared to the idealized version people love, but there can be other reasons, too. For instance, Batman, who fights crime in the shadows to protect his loved ones from dangerous enemies, so rather than seeking to unmask him, it is better to let the heroes remain a mystery, and that is something also advocated by former Batman Christian Bale. Except he goes one level further.

The actor admitted that he does not wish to meet his heroes and the actors he admires in films and television, while making an honest confession about himself.

Christian Bale recently appeared at the premiere of The Bride! at Cineworld Leicester Square in London. During a media interaction, an Entertainment Tonight journalist asked whether he ever tries to play it cool when meeting other actors or celebrities. Bale replied that he is never cool and prefers not to meet celebrities he admires, while recalling the times when his fans were disappointed after meeting him.

“I'm never cool,” he said. 

He further added, “I don't want to meet my heroes. I see it in people’s eyes when they’ve watched my movies and loved them, 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. That’s me at my best in the movie.”

However, while declaring the idea that one should never meet their heroes, Bale also added that fans should give their idols a break once in a while. After all, they cannot always be heroes and wear a cape. Bale, who played Batman three times in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy, would know a thing or two about it.

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 And since hanging up the cape, Bale has taken on vastly different roles, including villains such as Gorr in Thor: Love and Thunder.

After playing the Caped Crusader in Christopher Nolan’s films, Christian Bale has taken on different heroic roles in Terminator Salvation and Ford v Ferrari. However, he also played the role of bad guys such as Gorr the God Butcher in the Marvel Studios film, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Before that, he was unforgettable in his iconic and ultimate villainous role, Patrick Bateman, in the cult classic film American Psycho. He believes that playing a bad guy was a lot tougher than playing a hero who is easily loved by everyone.

"There's a great pleasure in playing a villain -- it's a lot easier ... than it is to play a hero," Bale said in a 2022 press conference. 

He will also appear as Frankenstein’s monster in The Bride! So, Bale has effortlessly portrayed both heroes and villains, and that is his versatility and dedication to his craft. As for his own heroes, however, he seems content not to getting know them at all. 

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What do you think about Christian Bale’s view on meeting heroes? Let us know in the comments.