'Vice' star Christian Bale on 'smart cookie' Dick Cheney: 'He doesn't back down'

Actor Christian bale discussed what it was like to get inside the mind of Dick Cheney for 'Vice.' (AP)

BEVERLY HILLS – Christian Bale opened up about his time putting on weight and getting into the mindset to play one of America’s most provocative vice presidents, Dick Cheney. He expressed admiration for the former George W. Bush administration member — and revealed that he ended up fatigued changing his body for the role.

As previously reported, Bale stars in the biopic “Vice,” which covers the life and career of Cheney, specifically reviewing his time as Bush’s vice president. He’s joined by Amy Adams playing Lynne Cheney, Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld and Sam Rockwell as Bush and many others.

To prepare for the role, not only did Bale put on weight and shave his hair, but he also took a deep dive into Cheney’s personality.

Christian Bale, left, and Sibi Blazic arrive at the world premiere of "Vice" on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP)

“He was a wonderful family man — he’s a great dad, he’s an avid reader, he has a brain like a vice and he constantly reads history,” Bale told Fox News of Cheney at the premiere of “Vice" on Tuesday in Beverly Hills, Calif. ”He was very laid-back. He would have been very happy to be a lineman in Wyoming if he hadn’t met Lynne, who said to him, ‘No, that doesn’t cut it. You need some ambition.’ What would have been if they hadn’t met?”

However, when asked if he believes the real-life Cheney will find the movie enjoyable or irksome, Bale could only speculate.

“I think he’ll certainly find it entertaining, at the very least. I think he’s very thick-skinned — you know. He has no remorse or regrets about what he’s done — he always says, ‘I would do it again in a minute.’ He doesn’t back down — he doesn’t apologize about anything,” Bale said. “So, I think he’s a thick-skinned guy and I’d love to hear his thoughts. He’s a very intelligent individual, no matter what your thoughts are about him — he’s a smart cookie. So, I do hope so.”

Fans were struck when Bale first stepped out having put on weight to play Cheney in the film. As fans of the former “Dark Knight” star will note, he’s prone to completely adjusting his body to better play a character. However, after the Cheney transformation, the actor admitted that this may have been the last major body change for the star.

“Right. Yeah, I think I’m done — you know. Everything hurts,” he said with a laugh. “Everything hurts now. I’ve gotten really stout thinking if I can manage this again, and the answer is probably no.”