Christian Bale has joined JJ Abrams on the official list of Really Great Dudes (why hasn’t anyone been charged with keeping a list of really great dudes already?). Bale recently phoned up Zach Guillot, an 8-year-old Seattle boy who has AML leukaemia (a rare, fast-acting type of cancer that typically effects much older people) and chatted with him for a good ten minutes about Zach’s favourite superhero—Batman, of course!
Zach’s family filmed the conversation and uploaded it to YouTube so that we could all sob openly while watching it in a public setting witness how sweet and engaging Bale is as he chats with Zach about Batman costumes, homemade Batmobiles, and the latest Batman movie. The kid’s face lights up as he describes how he became neighbourhood-famous last Halloween when he dressed up as Batman and roamed the streets in his cardboard Batmobile (with real, working LED lights!) in the company of his best friend, Catwoman. His accommodating little brother (who believes that Zach really is The Dark Knight) played Robin. “That sounds fantastic,” said an enthusiastic Bale, adding, “You know what? I had to give mine back. They wouldn’t let me keep mine. You’re lucky you get to have one and run around and tell people you are Batman.”
Bale became notorious for this Terminator Salvation on-set meltdown back in 2009, but his (less talked about) good deeds more than make up for a work-place temper tantrum or two. Last September Bale treated a four-year-old cancer patient and his parents to a trip to California, bringing his own wife and daughter along with him when he took the boy’s family to lunch. He also met with victims of the Aurora, CO theatre shooting. Basically, the guy is a couple good deeds away from becoming an actual superhero.
