Music is important to Christian Bale, and helps him prepare for any role. He recently told NME that the art form is the one he could not live without. He loves making films, sure, but music? That's special.
While being interviewed by NME about his role in The Bride!, in which Bale plays Frank (or the monster from Frankenstein) to Jessie Buckley's Ida (or, as you might have guessed, the bride of the monster), the actor was asked what specific music helped him in playing the role in his latest film.
Bale mentioned the Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious, and, perhaps more surprisingly, Richey Edwards from the Manic Street Preachers.
Chrisitian Bale names Manic Street Preachers' Richey Edwards as inspiration for his role in The Bride!
"An early inspiration was Sid Vicious in the white jacket," Bale said, "walking down the steps and singing ‘My Way’ (in the 1980 music comedy The Great Rock & Roll Swindle). (Richey) Edwards from the Manic Street Preachers cutting ‘4 Real’ into his arm (in front of an NME journalist) was another."
Bale later doubled down on his appreciation of Edwards and his former band, "Massive Manics fan, have been for years...listen to them all the time."
Besides the Manics, NME asked Bale what album Bale always goes back to listen to, to which the actor named the Pogues' Summer in Siam, Happy Mondays' Bummed, and Spiritualized's Laser Guided Melodies and Pure Phase. He also wanted to impress that he was likely leaving a lot of worthy bands off the list, and then made mention of Lou Reed.
What is slightly ironic is that both Sid Vicious and Edwards died decades ago, unfortunately. Edwards' body was never found, and no one seemingly knows for sure exactly what happened, though suicide is most likely. The tragic ends of both Vicious and Edwards could have fueled Bale's take on the Frankenstein monster even further, with or without any single act they did.
The Bride! was directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, and she asked both Christian Bale and Jesse Buckley to send her music as part of the making of the movie. The director wanted to set the correct tone. Bale mentioned Buckley's signing ability and said she was a huge fan of Spiritualized, which Bale appears to be as well.
But for Manic Street Preachers fans, having Richey Edwards still inspiring an actor or musician currently is touching. He might not have had the best life, but he is obviously fondly remembered.