Christian Bale had one unconventional figure to thank in his acceptance speech after winning best actor in a comedy or musical for “Vice” at Sunday night’s Golden Globes.
“Thank you to Satan for giving me inspiration for playing this role,” he said about his character of Dick Cheney in the political satire.
The line got a positive response for the Church of Satan itself, which wrote on Twitter, “To us, Satan is a symbol of pride, liberty and individualism, and it serves as an external metaphorical projection of our highest personal potential. As Mr. Bale’s own talent and skill won him the award, this is fitting. Hail Christian! Hail Satan!”
Bale, who scored his second Golden Globe, first thanked his children and wife, “who told me less is more.”
“She knows the dumb crap that can come out of my mouth at times. I can sink and ruin a perfectly good movie and so-so career in one speech. So thank you for that advice, my love.”
He joked that director Adam McKay chose him for the gig because of his resemblance to former vice president Cheney.
“He said, ‘I have to find somebody that can be absolutely charisma free and reviled by everybody, so we wanted Christian Bale.'”
Bale teased that the next political figure he’ll take on is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The Welsh actor topped Lin-Manuel Miranda for “Mary Poppins Returns,” Viggo Mortensen for “Green Book,” Robert Redford for “The Old Man & the Gun,” and John C. Reilly for “Stan & Ollie.”
Bale has been widely praised for his portrayal of a growling Cheney in “Vice,” gaining 60 pounds for the part and seemingly disappearing into the role of the resilient and ruthlessly ambitious politician. He’s been nominated for a SAG and Critics’ Choice Award for “Vice,” and was regarded as the frontrunner for the Golden Globe.
Bale won an Academy Award and Golden Globe in the supporting actor category for 2010’s “The Fighter.” He received Oscar and Globe nominations for “American Hustle” and “The Big Short.”
James Franco won the Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy or musical last year for “The Disaster Artist.”
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