Summary

• Christian Bale based his portrayal of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho on Tom Cruise's intense friendliness and unnatural behavior in an interview with David Letterman.
• Bale's decision to model Bateman after Cruise added authenticity to his performance, as Bateman's forced happiness and exaggerated movements mirrored Cruise's onscreen and offscreen persona.
• While Nicolas Cage also served as an inspiration for Bateman, elements of Tom Cruise's mannerisms and energy can still be seen throughout the character's personality.

Christian Bale's portrayal of the psychopathic murderer Patrick Bateman has become iconic over the years--and for good reason. In American Psycho, a film based on Bret Easton Ellis's novel of the same name, Bateman's off-putting personality and over-the-top reactions in his head are disturbing and yet somewhat believable. However, as a result of his memorably exaggerated performance, Christian Bale decided to model Bateman after a real person to give him some authenticity. Surprisingly, Bale's portrayal wasn't modeled off of a serial killer, but rather fellow movie star Tom Cruise.

When American Psycho's Patrick Bateman isn't being serious or villainous, he often wears a big grin and speaks in a forcibly happy manner. It almost feels like he's not human but instead someone observing humans and figuring out how they should behave in situations. Bale clearly put much thought into how he wanted Bateman to behave and drew inspiration from one of the most famous movie stars.

Updated on February 18, 2024 by Jordan Iacobucci: More than twenty years after its release, American Psycho continues to be a culturally significant film. This is due in large part to Christian Bale's chilling portrayal of Patrick Bateman, which has itself become iconic over the years. While many fans of the film may recognize that Bale based part of his character on Tom Cruise, that isn't the entire story. In the years since the film's release, Bale and those close to him have added to the history of how he crafted the character. As it turns out, there were multiple influences outside of Tom Cruise who helped inspire the creation of Patrick Bateman, adding to the mythos surrounding one of the best films from the early 2000s.

Tom Cruise's Interviews Inspired Christian Bale in American Psycho

In an interview with director Mary Harron, the inspiration for Christian Bale's American Psycho inspiration was revealed to be action film superstar Tom Cruise. Harron recalled that, one day, Bale had phoned her with the news that he had found inspiration for American Psycho. Having watched Tom Cruise doing an interview with late-nate commentator David Letterman, Bale saw the exact qualities he wanted to portray in Bateman. Harron described Cruise as having this "very intense friendliness with nothing behind the eyes" and that Bale was really taken aback by his energy. He thought it would naturally fit into the unnatural business world of American Psycho, which it certainly did.

Tom Cruise is known for being very intense, both onscreen and behind the scenes. Moreover, the actor always comes across as incredibly happy due to his big grin and exaggerated movements. Though Cruise's co-stars typically praise the actor, some viewers have labeled his energy as being forced, like Patrick Bateman's. Even so, others see Cruise's mannerisms as being nothing more than a genuine enthusiasm for the art of cinema. Either way, there is certainly no denying an unnaturalness to the actor's behavior, explaining why Christian Bale thought it would be perfect to adapt for American Psycho.

Christian Bale Used Tom Cruise's Mannerisms for Patrick Bateman

Although Patrick Bateman is obviously a lot more aggressive than Tom Cruise, there are hints of his personality in American Psycho. For example, when Bateman brings a drunk colleague home and is gearing up to murder him, his big grin and wide eyes are eerily reminiscent of Cruise. And, much like in Cruise's Letterman interview, everything Patrick Bateman talks about -- especially music -- is with a deep passion, walking the line between genuine and forceful.

Despite the resemblance, it's safe to assume that Christian Bale's performance in American Psycho wasn't purposefully targeting Tom Cruise by relating him to a serial killer. It would appear that Christian Bale has nothing personal against Cruise, but rather leapt at the chance to craft a believable character. But still, some audiences dislike Cruise due to his involvement in the Scientology movement, whereas many who have worked with him insist he's one of the nicest and most professional people they've ever met. Even so, his connection to the group has generated a different public image for Cruise than that of the 80s and 90s, resulting in various caricatures, including Bale's iconic performance as Patrick Bateman.

Who Else Inspired Patrick Bateman In American Psycho

Twenty-three years after its initial release, American Psycho is still considered to be a masterpiece of filmmaking and has managed to remain surprisingly culturally relevant, even for a new generation of viewers. With over two decades in hindsight, some of the widely reported stories about Christian Bale's performance in the classic 2000s film can be put in order. Over the years, the stories about Bateman being directly based on Tom Cruise have become very well known, but it isn't quite as simple as some people may have previously thought. While it is true that the actor based parts of the character of Patrick Bateman on Tom Cruise, there was more than one person who inspired the creation of the iconic serial killer.

One of the major inspirations for Patrick Bateman outside of Tom Cruise was none other than Nicolas Cage. According to Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman by Harrison Cheung, Bale partially based his performance on that of Nicolas Cage in Vampire's Kiss. The film in question sees Cage, known for his overacting and boisterous roles, portray a literary agent who slowly creeps toward madness--not unlike Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Vampire's Kiss has become a cult classic, with Cage's performance remaining one of the most memorable parts of the film. It would appear that the more unhinged side of Patrick Bateman stems from Cage's performance, though elements of Tom Cruise still remain sprinkled throughout the character's personality.

An actor often draws many inspirations from the real world for each individual character he portrays. Especially in a role as complex and deep as that of Patrick Bateman, it isn't surprising that Christian Bale sought to ground his character in real influences. Likely an amalgamation of many different people, including Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage, Patrick Bateman is a character who speaks to generations because of just how real a character he is.