Christian Bale (15 page)

As a beloved story,
Little Women
was going to be a prestige project and Winona Ryder had lined up a formidable cast of female leads. Susan Sarandon would play Marmie, the March matriarch. Trini Alvarado would play the eldest sister, Meg. Claire Danes would be the sickly Beth. Kirsten Dunst and Samantha Mathis would be the spoiled kid sister, Amy, at two different ages. Ryder herself would star as Jo March. Acclaimed Australian director Gillian Armstrong would direct.

So who would play the male roles?

For a while, Columbia Pictures, the studio behind this latest incarnation of
Little Women
, pushed hard for Hugh Grant to be Professor Bhaer, but Ryder instead chose Irish actor Gabriel Byrne (Christian's costar from
Prince of Jutland
).

And for Laurie, the boy next door? Well, obviously, Columbia and Di Novi thought Laurie should be played by a young Hollywood heartthrob, especially in light of River Phoenix's tragic death.

River Phoenix had defined the young Hollywood archetype of the 1980s and ‘90s. He was at ease with both big-studio and indie films, ever since he gained notice in
Stand by Me
. He had been nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in
Running on Empty
. He had starred with Harrison Ford in Steven Spielberg's
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
. His 1991
My Own Private Idaho
with Keanu Reeves would sweep the Independent Spirit Awards. He had a very positive image as an environmentalist and a vegetarian. But his drug-induced death in 1993 became another cautionary tale about Hollywood, and it left a huge void as roles that would have been offered to Phoenix were now chasing after younger and untried new talent.

Columbia and Di Novi thought of tapping an up-and-coming actor like Stephen Dorff for the role of Laurie, but Winona decided to bring in her latest discovery to read for the part.

Recalled Christian: “It was [Ryder's] idea to bring me in to audition for
Little Women
. Winona was very involved in the casting, in every aspect of the film—she'd contacted Gillian about making the film. She wanted me to play Laurie. Talk about someone who's seen a lot of movies—she'd seen everything I'd done.”

Ryder's
Little Women
was not immediately ideal. David was grooming Christian to be a leading man, and a supporting role in a large ensemble concerned him. He didn't want Christian to be lost in the crowd in a girl's movie.

The funny thing about Christian was that because of his
nomadic upbringing in England, he had no idea who Winona Ryder was. Nor had he ever heard of the book or previous film incarnations of
Little Women
.

In a
Movieline
interview, Christian was amused when he was scolded by director Gillian Armstrong: “She said: ‘Christian, maybe it's a good idea to sort of research who you'll be working with.'”

What did Christian think about taking on the role of Laurie, which had been made famous by Peter Lawford—brother-in-law to John F. Kennedy Jr., uncle of Maria Shriver, and one of the original Rat Pack with Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop, and Sammy Davis Jr.?

“I wasn't intimidated due to the fact that I had never heard of it. I went to an all-boys school since I was twelve.
Little Women
was not on the curriculum.” Christian added, “I rented the June Allyson version but had to turn it off when I started gagging.”

Christian loved the
Little Women
script by Robin Swicord (who would receive a 2009 Oscar nomination for her screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
), but David did not want Christian to take a supporting role and make a supporting actor's measly salary. Fortunately, at the time, Christian's new William Morris agent insisted that this Winona Ryder project would be a great career builder.

David was not pleased. Christian had commanded a six-figure quote for his first two Disney movies, and both of those productions had been filmed in 1991. Instead of being offered bigger and better parts, Christian was now being offered a small part in this Columbia Pictures film. As Christian's manager, David grumbled that an agent should be negotiating big bucks and big roles. As Christian's father, David worried that 1993 and 1994 would be very tight financially at Oak Avenue.

Christian would also learn how complicated things could be when you are a British citizen.
Little Women
was to be shot in Canada, so Christian would require a work visa to work in
Canada. He would then need a visitor's visa or work visa every time he wanted to reenter the U.S.

“That's not fair,” Christian often complained. “I'm not a visitor! I own a home in the U.S.! I pay taxes here!”

Shot in picturesque Vancouver and Victoria, Canada, Christian enjoyed working with the female cast but confessed to having been irritated when Eric Stolz, who played Laurie's tutor, showed up. Recalled Christian: “I was very possessive on the set of the film. I was experiencing an incredible male possessiveness.”

He was also experiencing his first bouts of insomnia. He told a reporter: “On
Little Women
, there was a time when I was having trouble sleeping, and so the producer gave me a bunch of, I think it was NyQuil, tablets. And I found they worked really well.

“And then one morning, I was feeling a little nervous, and I thought: ‘Well, I'll just pop a few of these; they'll just make me feel just nice and calm again.' Wrong—on the set, just zzzzzzzzzzzzz, just trying to stay awake for every scene.”

Back in Los Angeles, David started to feel the financial pinch. Christian's last big payday had been in 1991 for
Swing Kids
and the creditors were starting to harass the House of Bale. Amazingly, David started faxing out a letter to ask for forbearance and time.

The letter read:

Interestingly, Dr. Crummer, a former neighbor of the Bale family, is not actually a doctor of medicine. At the time he wrote the letter, he was a lecturer in physics at the University of Phoenix.

It was an odd tactic, something I had never heard of before. Would bill collectors give a damn about your being too sick to pay? I asked David why he would be so forthcoming with his medical details.

“I know, it's not the best way of going about things,” he said. “But better than giving people no explanation at all, which would be most rude.”

“But, David, shouldn't you tell Christian about your finances?” I asked. “He should take a role that makes better money. One big payday could take care of all your problems.”

“NO!” David barked back. “Christian must
never
know about our financial situation. He must remain focused on the work. The worst thing an actor can do is to choose a role just for the money! That's when you become mediocre! That's when your career is over! I will never allow the word ‘should' to be dictated to my son!”

David was insistent on sheltering Christian about any “mundane” details like household finances. He didn't want Christian to become a “paycheck” actor so early in his career. As it was early in my relationship with the family, I could only agree with David, though I had misgivings about the deception that was obviously going on between father and son.

Christian finished shooting his scenes for
Little Women
by mid-September and he was impressed at how quickly Columbia was preparing the film for a Christmas 1994 release. In Hollywood, movies released from fall through the end of December are considered top-notch Oscar-bait films (
The Fighter
, anyone?). Films dumped in January and February are titles that the studios don't think have a chance of winning any awards.

The premiere of
Little Women
was on Sunday, December 11, 1994—my first weekend with the Bale family. A limo came up to the Bale house in Manhattan Beach to pick us up. “Is this your first time in a limo?” Christian asked me. I shook my head. But this was my first Hollywood premiere!

“It's nice, eh?” Christian was slouched over—it often seemed he had the worst posture. David and I sat on one side of the car. Christian and Louise were on the other. I tried to act nonchalant, but as we got closer and closer, my mouth dried up and my heart started pounding. I was expecting the limo door to open and a flash of camera lights to start popping, aimed at the car, the eager line of reporters desperate for a view of those of us inside.

When we arrived, Christian insisted I get out first. He hid his face in my jacket. I could hear his funny wheezing laugh in my shoulder blades as he urged me on, “Go! Go! Go!” So Christian, Louise, and I quickly stepped onto the red carpet and raced to the box office, like a crazed conga line. David walked slowly behind, laughing at our antics. No one snapped our picture. They were waiting for Winona Ryder.

The premiere was at the Mann's Theater in Culver City, California, conveniently across the street from the Sony Pictures lot. (Columbia Pictures was a subsidiary of Sony.) I remember very well that during the famous
Little Women
proposal scene, both David and I were in tears. Christian looked over at us and chuckled to Louise, “They're crying!” After the movie, the after-party was held under a giant white circus tent on the studio lot. Inside, the tent was decorated as a winter wonderland to match the Christmas theme of the movie.

To my surprise, I wasn't starstruck at all. I tried to make conversation with
The Nanny
star Fran Drescher, who sat at our table, but she ate her food quietly and seemed depressed. Christian and his costars were walking around the tent, enjoying the post-screening compliments thrown their way. It seemed as though the movie was very well received.

Heathers
was actually one of my favorite movies but meeting Winona Ryder in person was a little disappointing. She was petite and porcelain-perfect but chain-smoked and had the mouth of a sailor. To my shock, she sat down beside me and began talking to an oddly familiar looking man at our table. He had a shaved head and was quietly eating French fries.

“Can I have one of your fries?” she sweetly asked the man.

“Sure.” He pushed his plate toward her.

Suddenly, Ryder's voice dropped an octave, from sweet cooing to a Linda Blair
Exorcist
voice, as she turned to a woman standing
patiently nearby. “Ketchup! Where's some fucking ketchup?” The woman jumped to look for a bottle.

Ryder and the man then turned to look at me.

“Hi,” the man said. “What's your name?”

“I'm Harrison,” I replied. “I'm a friend of Christian's.”

“I'm Michael.”

“What do you do, Michael?” I figured I'd make some conversation.

Ryder laughed, and I felt uncomfortably out of place for the first time that evening.

“Well,” Michael began, “I'm a musician. I'm in a band called R.E.M.”

Shit, Michael
Stipe
. That's why he looked familiar. Later, I'd find that Stipe was very interested in the movie industry. He had been good friends with River Phoenix and he and Christian would become friends, too. Stipe would later produce Christian's glam rock movie,
Velvet Goldmine
.

David ran over to the table and interrupted: “Hello, Winona, I'm David, Christian's father.” She smiled sweetly and shook hands.

Then David turned to me, excitedly. “Guess what, Harrison! Do you know who I was talking to?”

I had not noticed. My cheeks were still red with embarrassment for not recognizing Michael Stipe.

“That was Sid Ganis! Sid Ganis! Head of Columbia Marketing! He loved Christian! He thought Christian was tremendous in
Little Women
! Tremendous! He said he wants to build a project around him!”