Christian Bale is one actor who is known to be the master of transformation. With every film, Bale tries to get as close to the character as he can and makes sure that you forget who Christian Bale is. He has gained weight, lost weight, beefed up his physique, shaved his head, always going the extra mile for a role. Don't mistake his performances to be great merely based on his physical transformations though considering he's one of the finest actors and could pull off any given role with his talent. Over the years, we have seen him do everything from playing Batman to America's Vice President Dick Cheney.Thor: Love and Thunder: Christian Bale In Talks With Marvel to Join Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson Film.

Christian celebrates his birthday on January 30. As the British actor turns 45, we look at the roles that had him undergo stark transformations for his character. We bet when we say this, the first film that comes to your mind is The Machinist. Well, there are several others too. Bale has not only experimented with his weight but also shaved his head off for a role. Here's looking at those roles.

1. The Machinist

To play the emaciated insomniac Trevor Reznik in 2004's The Machinist, we hear Bale lost almost 60 pounds in four months. He ended up weighing just 54 Kg whilst working on this film. Reports suggest that his diet included water, an apple, and one cup of coffee per day.

2.American Pyscho

While playing the Patrick Bateman, a wealthy New York investment banker who descends into becoming a psychopathic killer in this film, he got his teeth capped to look a certain way. He told The Guardian in 2000, "I liked my old teeth. I have a moulding of them on a shelf. But with Patrick Bateman, his physicality is much more important than with most characters. He deals totally in the superficial, and he's incredibly narcissistic. I looked at myself in the mirror and it just wasn't right. I was warned that if I got caps I could get a lisp, and you might still be able to tell in close-up. So I thought, I like my teeth, but I'm not so attached to them that I'm going to ruin this whole movie because I refuse to get them done."

3. American Hustle

To play o play con artist Irving Rosenfeld, Bale gained over 18 kgs and also shaved his head for the role. The actor has admitted to eating " lots of doughnuts, a whole lot of cheeseburgers" to look like that in the film. We have to say, he was surely unrecognisable in this film.

4. Vice

In Vice, Christian Bale turned into former American Vice President Dick Cheney quite miraculously. Apart from gaining a lot of weight again which he had lost whilst working on Exodus, the actor also shaved his head and bleached his eyebrows for the role. He is also reported to have done some "specific exercises" to thicken his neck for this role. It is unbelievable to what lengths he goes for a role!

5. Ford V Ferrari

After shedding all the weight Bale had gained for his role in Vice, the actor had to drop some more to get fit for his role as British race car driver Ken Miles. The actor dropped nearly 30 kgs for this role and told a portal that it was because he had to get into the car and elaborating it he said, "these things are not made for comfort, these cars. They’re tight."

Every time Christian Bale announces a film, we are assured that there will be something special in it given the extra mile he goes for his characters with so much belief in his work. Although, the actor has now decided to be a little more careful."I've become a little bit more boring now, because I'm older and I feel like if I keep doing what I've done in the past I'm going to die. So, I'd prefer not to die," Bale told E! News.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2020 08:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).