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Christian Bale says he owes his career to Leonardo DiCaprio passing on roles: 'Thank you, Leo'

Christian Bale is taking time out to thank the man who unintentionally helped him become the star he is today: Leonardo DiCaprio.

The Amsterdam actor cheekily credited his cinematic success to DiCaprio for turning down roles in prominent films that he was then subsequently able to audition for and land himself.

"Look, to this day, any role that anybody gets, it's only because he's passed on it beforehand," Bale told GQ in a candid interview. "It doesn't matter what anyone tells you. It doesn't matter how friendly you are with the directors. All those people that I've worked with multiple times, they all offered every one of those roles to him first."

"So, thank you, Leo, because literally, he gets to choose everything he does," Bale concluded. "And good for him, he's phenomenal."

Christian Bale attends the Thor: Love and Thunder World Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in [Hollywood], California on June 23, 2022.; Leonardo DiCaprio attends the "Don't Look Up" World Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 05, 2021 in New York City.
Christian Bale attends the Thor: Love and Thunder World Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in [Hollywood], California on June 23, 2022.; Leonardo DiCaprio attends the "Don't Look Up" World Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 05, 2021 in New York City.

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images Christian Bale called Leonardo DiCaprio a 'magnificent' actor.

While knowledge that DiCaprio seemingly gets priority preference on roles might draw others into a game of not-so-friendly competition, Bale insisted that he's never taken it personally when casting directors pass him up in favor of the Titanic actor.

"No. Do you know how grateful I am to get any damn thing? I mean, I can't do what he does," Bale shared. "And he does it magnificently. But I would suspect that almost everybody of similar age to him in Hollywood owes their careers to him passing on whatever project it is."

One role in particular that DiCaprio reportedly declined was the axe-wielding, yuppie serial killer Patrick Bateman in the 2000 horror film American Psycho. When DiCaprio ultimately parted ways with the project, Bale was able to step into the role which would later catapult him into mainstream success.

American Psycho
American Psycho

Everett Collection Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in 'American Psycho.'

Although, as Bale recalled, becoming Bateman came with its own financial caveats. "They had paid me the absolute minimum they were legally allowed to pay me," he said. "I remember one time sitting in the makeup trailer and the makeup artists were laughing at me because I was getting paid less than any of them."

At the time, Bale said that "nobody wanted me to do" the film apart from director Mary Harron, which contributed to his lower wage.

"They said they would only make it if they could pay me that amount," Bale explained. "I was prepping for it when other people were playing the part. I was still prepping for it. And, you know, it moved on. I lost my mind. But I won it back."

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