Reply #5: He gives interviews in the dialect he used in the movie he's promoting. [View All]

[leftyclimber]

He's very adept.

Dialect and voicework was one of my specialties when I was acting. If you have a good ear and the right practice/coaching, it can be downright creepy how close you can get to the real deal. I'm in a social science now, and I've sometimes caught myself shifting into the local dialect when I do fieldwork. I blame it on my theatre training. On the other hand, it's incredibly useful to gain access to groups that aren't normally very receptive.

A lot of actors, when they're doing a role where they use a dialect other than their own, will try to stay 24/7 in that dialect to make sure they can maintain their accuracy. Bale is one of the few who does it after the shoot is over. As a marketing trick, it makes sense -- the viewer/listener associates the actor with the character they are playing in the movie they're pimping instead of going, "whoa, he doesn't sound at ALL like the character he plays" and getting all fascinated with that instead of the film.

Bale's the real deal. I hope he sticks around for a long time, beyond the 20-odd years he's already been at it. Amazing to think he was the little boy in "Empire of the Sun," isn't it?