- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
Out of the Furnace is a dark thriller about the lives of two brothers struggling to make something of themselves despite their economically challenge situation.
Christian Bale stars as Russell, the older brother of Rodney, played by Casey Affleck. While Russell tries to make an honest living as a steel mill worker, his younger brother, a former soldier, falls into the world of underground fighting.
PHOTOS: Hollywood’s 19 Most Dramatic Big-Screen Transformations
Directed by Scott Cooper from a screenplay written by Cooper and Brad Ingelsby, Out of the Furnace was the first film Bale did after wrapping up the final pic in the Dark Knight trilogy. Did he take some time off after retiring the cape and cowl?
“I don’t remember how long it was exactly, but it was at least a couple months,” Bale tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s a very different style of film, and a very different style of filmmaking as well.”
Affleck, the younger brother of Ben Affleck, is also the father of young boys, and so had a special perspective on the relationship of brothers, which is key to this story.
“You grow in tandem, kind of. You’re leaning on each other, at different times, in different ways. It can be the most harmonious and beautiful relationship, at least in my experience,” he tells THR.
VIDEO: Christian Bale Fights Woody Harrelson in ‘Out of the Furnace’ Trailer
Bale has two films coming out this month. Out of the Furnace, which opens in theaters on Dec. 6, will be followed up by American Hustle on Dec. 18. In the David O. Russell film, Bale plays an overweight conman in the 1970s. Bale worked on the films nearly one year apart, but they both continue his track record of playing fascinating characters.
“There’s a lot of fantastic scripts, but some of them just don’t stay with you on a guttural level,” he says. “For me, it’s in my gut. Do I keep on going back and considering a script? That’s when you go, ‘Alright, that’s one that I’ll work on.’ “
Out of the Furnace opens in theaters nationwide on Dec. 6.
Email: Rebecca.Ford@THR.com
Twitter: @Beccamford
Related Stories
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day