How Christian Bale Behaved On The Set Of Amsterdam According To John David Washington
Any new job can be a risk, especially when it comes to acclimating one's self to a strange, ever-changing environment with potential toxic risk factors. And perhaps one of the biggest factors is finding out that there are coworkers that you just do not gel with. Luckily for John David Washington, that was not the case for his experience working with Christian Bale on "Amsterdam." In fact, the actor has nothing but kind words to give the legendary star.
"Christian Bale was a great leader, in that way," Washington told Collider in 2022. "The second day on set, he came into my little quarters and said, 'Welcome. You made it through your first day. It's gonna get better from here.' That's important. That was great. He didn't have to do that. He could've gone straight to his trailer. But it was the end of the day, and he decided to tell me that."
According to Washington, this level of trust and respect allows film sets to thrive. And, for him, at least, there's one key element that makes the process that much easier, and he experienced it big time on the set of "Amsterdam."
Washington believes that 'humility' is the key to smooth film sets
While speaking with Collider, John David Washington continued to praise Christian Bale as well as the rest of the cast of "Amsterdam," believing that the experience and sets that behave similarly are exactly how all productions should act. And, for him, the key to everything comes down to humility.
"In knowing that, that's gonna affect your performance," Washington said. "It's gonna inform how you listen to your partners, how you receive what they're saying, and how you receive notes from David O. Russell. If you're comfortable with that, and if you know that this foundation is based off of humility and everybody championing one another, then that makes it easier and smooth and enjoyable to find the answers to the questions of your characters and their motivations."
So, in terms of working conditions on the set of "Amsterdam," it seems like Washington has nothing but praise for everyone involved, especially for Bale's leadership qualities. Obviously, this is a far cry from the days of Bale's infamous "Terminator: Salvation" on-set rants, but it's also not hard to imagine that the actor has matured quite a bit since then.