The countdown to The Dark Knight [1] is officially on, which means we can look forward to seeing a lot more of cute Christian Bale as he gets into promotional mode. In Parade [2] he shows off his softer side hanging out with doggies and talking about Heath and his family. Here are highlights [3]:

[3]

• On Heath Ledger: "I want to talk about Heath. When you miss somebody, you want to speak about him. He was a unique character, a very infectious character. He was a good man, and I was glad to have spent time with him. He was somebody who I’d been seeing on a daily basis for months. It takes a long time to accept that someone’s gone, when all body and mind are telling you that this is somebody you will know for a great deal of time. He was something of a kindred spirit to myself."
• On his personal heroes: "Not traditional idols—certainly not superheroes. I don’t think I was particularly in need of that. I never had any fascination with Superman or Spider-Man or a Batman kind of character. If it happened at all, it was imagined characters that I had invented. My dad was a role model for me. He was a fascinating man. There was intrigue and entertainment growing up with him. He gave me an edict that I still pursue: 'Life should never be boring.'"

To see what else Christian had to say about being a dad and what the future holds, just .

• On being a silly dad: "I’m a court jester. My wife and daughter come with me on location. It’s the most ideal mix. These wonderful distractions actually make me better at what I do."
• On the future: "I’m accustomed to not having any kind of map for my life. I’d be reaching for an Uzi if I knew what was going to happen every day. If anybody tells me I shouldn’t jump, of course all I want to do is jump and show it can be done."

It's no secret that Christian takes his craft very seriously, but we love to hear that he knows how to lighten up and have fun when he's busy making the most of his non-boring personal life away from the cameras.