HOME / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

Christian Bale 'didn't get to know' Johnny Depp while filming 'Public Enemies': 'He did his own thing'

Christian Bale admitted to not getting to know Johnny Depp on a personal level and intentionally maintained distance from the actor during filming

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: There is a growing buzz suggesting that Johnny Depp may reprise his iconic role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' film franchise. Depp is renowned for his range in notable roles in various movies, including 'Edward Scissorhands', 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' among others. 

The 'Jeanne Du Barry' actor has also worked with numerous talented actors throughout his career, one of them being Christian Bale in the movie 'Public Enemies'. However, Bale openly admitted that he did not truly get to know his co-star on a personal level and consciously opted to maintain a certain level of professional detachment from the renowned star instead.

Johnny Depp worked with Christian Bale in 'Public Enemies'

In the Michael Mann film, 'Public Enemies' (2009), Depp took on the role of notorious bank robber John Dillinger, known for his criminal activities during the Great Depression. Bale joined the cast as FBI agent Melvin Purvis in the crime drama. Despite spending considerable time together on set, Bale and Depp had limited personal interaction. Bale admitted that he had little knowledge about Depp's personal life but expressed nothing but admiration for the talented 'Dark Shadows' star and praised his exceptional work.

"He does his own thing. He makes very interesting choices and makes a real variety of movies. I find that interesting. I think naturally he found Dillinger to be a fascinating character and I think he did a superb job with it," Bale told Collider.

Given their roles as rivals in the movie, Bale believed that maintaining a certain distance from Depp actually served the narrative of the film. The professional detachment between the actors added authenticity and enhanced the dynamic between their characters on-screen.

'I didn’t want to talk unless it was while we were doing a scene'

"But the nature of the way that we worked together was very similar to the way of the story. Purvis only that one time caught up with him. Pretty much I only caught up with Johnny that one time. If I was working he wasn’t," he continued. The 'Dark Knight' star acknowledged that he personally favored maintaining a strictly professional interaction with Depp, something which the 'Minamata' actor didn't seem to mind.

"I didn’t want to talk unless it was while we were doing a scene, I enjoy it that way," Bale once said, adding, "Johnny seemed happy to do it that way, too, so I guess the answer is no, we really didn’t get to know each other better between takes."