Christian Bale shocks fans with new look for ‘Madden’ role

Christian Bale is once again showing off his talent for dramatic transformations, this time not for a superhero, but for a sports legend.

The 51-year-old actor has taken on a striking new look for his role as late football executive and coach Al Davis in the upcoming film Madden.

Recent photos from the set reveal Bale dressed in all black with a leather jacket, deep V-neck white tee, and black pants. 

His fingers are decked out with three Super Bowl rings and a gold pinky ring, giving him a larger-than-life presence. 

But the biggest change is in his appearance. Bale’s usually thick hair is replaced with a balding hairline, and his remaining hair is slicked back. His skin also appears ruddier than usual, completing the physical transformation.

The film, which does not yet have a release date, will follow the story of NFL coach and commentator John Madden—played by Nicolas Cage—and his journey in creating the popular Madden NFL video game series. 

The cast also includes John Mulaney, Sienna Miller, and Kathryn Hahn.

For Bale, disappearing into a role is nothing new. He’s known for his physical dedication to characters, often gaining or losing extreme amounts of weight or using prosthetics. 

One of his most drastic changes came in 2004, when he dropped 63 pounds for The Machinist, only to gain over 100 pounds shortly after for Batman Begins.

By the time he portrayed Dick Cheney in 2018’s Vice, Bale realized he had to approach body transformations more carefully. 

"It was the first time in my life that I realized I had to do this in a smart way," he shared during a 2017 interview on CBS Mornings. 

"I've lost weight, I've gained weight, [but] I never went to a nutritionist in my life. It was the first time that I said, 'You know what? I better really do this the right way.'"

And by 2019, Bale decided it was time to put those extremes behind him. 

Speaking to E! News at the Ford vs. Ferrari premiere, he joked, “I've become a little bit more boring now. Because I'm older and I feel like if I keep doing what I've done in the past I'm going to die. So, I'd prefer not to die.”