Christian Bale is one of the most talked about actors in Hollywood, and for good reason.

From his early days as a child actor in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun, to his iconic role as Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, Bale has had a tumultuous journey in the spotlight.

A new biography, Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman, by Harrison Cheung and Nicola Pittam, delves into the actor’s life and career.

Cheung, who served as Bale’s publicist, marketer, and personal assistant for nearly a decade, offers a unique perspective on the actor’s rise to fame.

He recounts how he helped establish an online fan community for Bale, known as the “Baleheads”, in the early days of the internet.

But Bale never paid him for his efforts, which ultimately led to the end of their relationship.

Bale’s relationship with his father, David, is also explored in the book. David, an overbearing and at times dishonest figure, played a significant role in his son’s acting career.

He and Bale moved from England to Los Angeles in 1991 to capitalize on the young actor’s potential.

Despite his convivial nature, David had a troubled past and had been disastrously mismanaging Bale’s money, leading to the end of their relationship.

Bale’s big break came when he was cast in Mary Harron’s American Psycho, an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ controversial novel about a yuppie serial killer.

Even those who didn’t like the movie had to praise Bale’s spot-on performance as the narcissistic, emotionless Patrick Bateman.

Cheung writes, “The curious torment Bateman has with himself was very much Christian. I thought back to a line from the movie: ‘I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion.’”

Despite his success, Bale is depicted in the book as a focused, intense young actor who felt like an outsider in Hollywood and struggled with feelings of uncertainty and self-doubt.

He was known to dislike doing interviews or putting himself in the spotlight, and his cocky, at times aggressive personality is seen as a mask for these underlying emotions.

The biography also covers Bale’s struggles with his weight, as he lost over 60 pounds for his role in The Machinist, and then gained it all back and more for Batman Begins.

It also delves into his on-set behavior, including his infamous outburst on the set of Terminator Salvation.