Terminator Salvation – Christian Bale

In 2005 Christian Bale took over the role of Bruce Wayne for Batman Begins, which has turned into one of the most profitable franchises in show business history. Always unpredictable, the actor has decided to take on another iconic character, John Connor, in the continuation of the Terminator franchise. Set in 2018, before Time travel has been discovered, John Connor is fighting Skynet, the artificial intelligence that controls the Terminators, when he comes in contact with his father Kyle Reese, (Anton Yelchin) who is a teenager in the Resistance, and must save him in order for Kyle to go back into the past, years later, so that John can be born. We spoke with Christian Bale, to find out what it was about Terminator Salvation that interested him.

It's an intriguing choice to go into another franchise. What did you see in this movie that you really wanted to be a part of it?

Christian Bale © Warner Brothers

I didn't go straight into it. I did Public Enemies in between the two. I felt like the [Terminator] franchise was done, so when I first got sent it, I didn't have any interest. Then I got an idea that there really was something good that could be told here. If that was going to happen then absolutely I wanted to be on it. I like mixing it up. I like doing a Dark Knight, Batman Begins, and doing The Machinist and Public Enemies and then doing Terminator.

Can you talk about John Connor saying Arnold Schwarzenegger's infamous line, 'I'll be back'?

Christian Bale © Warner Brothers

When Jonah Nolan worked briefly on the script, he called me and said, 'Christian, I've got an idea, I just want to run it by you because you might say no way.' I thought let's try it; we can always cut it out. My aim was to have it be such a logical answer to what I'm being asked that hopefully people will go, 'Hey, wait a second; he just said the same line.' That way felt comfortable.



What's the most dangerous stunt you did in this?

The biggest adrenaline rush was actually a dive I had to make down into a cavernous space. I had to drop a fair distance for that, so it became a heart pounding rush filming it.

Are you fearless? I remember asking you on Batman if you were nervous shooting the scene on the ledge of the building and you said no.

Hey, listen. I'm sure there are things I have a fear of, but just not standing on ledges.

What was your reaction when you saw it all come together at the end?

Christian Bale © Warner Brothers

I saw a few different variations and, like any movie, it goes through a lot of different shapes. Ultimately, the last one I saw I really felt satisfied. I think movies like this are much like sports. It's that feeling of a common excitement throughout the theatre, and that is what I loved about seeing T2. People will decide, but I think we might have a chance of maybe reviving this franchise and be able to move on and see what happens with any future movies if this one does well enough.

Any chance we might see you in a third Batman film?

You know, after making a number of blunders, I've learned that I do not answer that question until Chris Nolan has answered that question.