Many actors glean inspiration from the real life individuals they portray on the screen. Rami Malek, upon accepting his award for Best Actor in a Drama at Sunday's Golden Globes, thanked Freddie Mercury for giving him "the joy of a lifetime" for his role in Bohemian Rhapsody. "I love you, you beautiful man. This is for and because of you, gorgeous," he said.
That wasn't quite the case for Christian Bale, who picked up the award for Best Actor in a motion picture musical or comedy for his portrayal of former Vice President Dick Cheney in Vice. Oh, Cheney gave him inspiration all right, but it was a slightly more negative kind.
"Thank you to Satan for giving me inspiration,” Bale said in his acceptance speech.
Bale recalled how he got the job in his animated, controversial speech. Director Adam McKay, he explained, tried "to find someone who can be absolutely charisma-free and reviled by everybody," clearly referring to Cheney's unpopularity.
Liz Cheney responded to Bale's speech by asking him if Satan had also inspired him to allegedly assault his mother and sister.
Satan probably inspired him to do this, too. Christian Bale arrested for 'assault on mother and sister'| The Independent. https://t.co/kesnNno9Zv
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) January 7, 2019
Bale denied those assault allegations at the time and he faced no criminal charges.
Bale wasn't the only celebrity to roast Cheney at the ceremony, particularly for his role in getting the U.S. involved in the 2003 Iraq War. When they were introducing the films in the Best Picture category, hosts Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh described Vice as the film that was "actually up for Best Musical or Comedy because it erroneously invaded the wrong category based on false intelligence.”
As Bale was rounding out his speech, he set his sights on his next role.
"I will be cornering the market for charisma-free a**holes. What do think, Mitch McConnell next?"