Sorry — images removed!

Out of the bat suit and into something a little more dapper, Christian Bale makes scruffy look sexy on the cover of the August issue of GQ UK. With The Dark Knight's release date just over a week away, he's got plenty to say about the film, but also shows us more of the man behind the latest caped crusader. Here are highlights:

  • On how his wife handles how he embodies the roles he plays: "Well, she gets to sleep with a whole bunch of different men, so maybe it's not so bad for my wife. And she does it without having to feel guilty!"
  • On being a father: "The time I spend with my daughter is just incredible. She's a little rascal. I'm not going to miss her growing up for anything, not even for Batman. I'm certainly not going to be one of those fathers who picks up a photo of his daughter and has regrets about not being around."
  • On doing risky stunts even though he has a family to think about: "People will say, Why is he still doing this crazy sh*t?' But I'm OK with that. I'd like my daughter to see me do these things, as I saw my father do some crazy things and learnt to appreciate it. My philosophy isn't so much, 'Do what I do.' It's more, 'Whatever you do, do it completely. Don't do it half-arsed. Do it more than anybody else would.'"

To see what else Christian had to say about doing his own stunts, getting recognized, and the Oscars, just read more.

  • On doing some of his own stunts: "We were shooting in Chicago one day and I overheard a couple of the stunt guys talking about a shot that needed to be set up, with Batman hanging off the edge of the Sears Tower. They wanted a stunt guy to do it but I was like, 'What? No, no, no. I am doing that.' I had to wrestle a bit with the producers but eventually I twisted their arms. A few days later I was standing 110 stories up, looking out over Chicago, on the edge of one of the tallest towers in the world, with a helicopter about two inches from my bloody face. Did I have a safety rope? Yeah, just don't tell anyone. But it was a thrill; it got the heart going — especially when the wind picked up and I was leaning all the way out over the edge. I mean, you can't play a superhero and not enjoy it, right?"
  • On getting recognized: "I used to think about it way more when I wasn't being recognized. For ages I used to think people were staring at me and I'd think, 'Oh no. I've been spotted by some deranged fan.' But of course they hadn't really recognized me at all, I just had something unsightly coming out of my nose. But anonymity back then was a lovely thing. Strangely enough, I was wandering around Rome recently, I think I was having insomnia issues or jet lag while filming, so I kept going for these late-night walks. I kept seeing this same guy wandering around some evenings, looking a little lost like me. I waved and said hello to him one night — it was f*cking Viggo Mortensen. So it seems the only people who spot me are fellow sleepless actors in Europe!"
  • On the possibility of winning an Oscar someday: "Look, I'm human, and I guess I can't help but like it when someone says they like my work. If someone wanted to jump up and down and go, 'You nailed that part. You. Are. F*cking. Fantastic,' of course I'd be riding high on that. But before that happens, I'll just have a couple of drinks with my pals."
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