Christian Bale claims that he mediated a dispute between director David O. Russell and co-star Amy Adams while filming the 2013 film American Hustle. In a cover story for GQ released Wednesday, Bale, 48, confirmed rumors that he stepped in to help Adams during filming.
Explaining his actions, he referred to his portrayal of Irv in the fictionalized account of the FBI’s Abscam sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
A mediator, he said, is someone who tries to understand both sides of an argument before taking sides. Because I tend to encourage people to sit down and talk things out, I usually do just that. We can likely find a solution that will allow this to proceed.
During the 2014 Sony Pictures breach, an email from journalist Jonathan Alter to his brother-in-law, then-Sony CEO Michael Lynton, surfaced in which Alter claimed that Russell, 64, had assaulted Adams on the picture set.
When compared to the norm in Hollywood, Alter said Lynton, his abuse and erratic behavior were shocking.
Adams, now 48 years old, responded to the allegation in 2016, calling Russell’s work ethic “maniacal.” The actress told British GQ that she was constantly subjected to the director’s verbal abuse and made to cry throughout their time together on set.
No doubt about it, he was tough on me. She afterward reflected that it had been a lot. I was absolutely sad when I found out I was going to miss the shoot.
Bale claims he has no bad feelings about the film despite its production controversy. For the November cover story of GQ, he said, “You’re dealing with two such amazing talents there.”
Because our imaginations are too amazing to ever be fully realized, there will inevitably be disappointments if we even reach our goals. This is especially true when working with someone with the extraordinary creative potential of Amy or David. Nonetheless, they are mind-blowing.
