Christian Bale Explains Why Fans Are Always Disappointed When They Meet Him—And His Candor Is Refreshing

We've all heard the old saying, "You should never meet your heroes," and Christian Bale most certainly agrees.

The Dark Knight actor offered very candid advice to his fans during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, explaining that the last thing any of them should do is try to meet him in real life, because he'll only disappoint them in return.

Bale came to this conclusion through his own interests in his fellow actors, saying that he didn't want to try to force people to live up to the expectations he'd inevitably created in his mind for those he's seen on screen.

Bale claimed:

"I don't want to meet people I see in films. I don't want to meet my heroes."

"I like seeing them just as they are."

"I don't like it when people think that they're gonna live up to these expectations."

Understandably, Bale fans likely have some very high expectations. Not only has he been Batman for multiple films, which is a highly lauded and "tough guy" role, but he's also shown incredible commitment, wit, and prowess in roles like The Machinist and The Prestige, which some fans find more impressive.

Meanwhile, in real life, Bale has been referenced frequently as kind, polite, and subtly funny, all of which is a far cry from his roles as a villain or anti-hero.

Bale continued, saying of himself:

"I see it in people's eyes when they've watched my movies and loved them, and then they meet me, and I see in their eyes that terrible disappointment about who I really am."

"And it's true. What a disappointment!"

"That's me at my best in the movie. Never meet me."

"I never want to meet my heroes, either, because they're heroic in what they do. But give them a break. Nobody an be a hero all the time."

You can watch the video here:

Fans understood what Bale was saying, but some did not agree, choosing to hype him up instead.

It's easy for us to think less of ourselves and to believe that people overestimate us. This can be especially true for creative people, like actors, artists, and authors, who often have fans trying to figure out who they are through their art.

But when a stereotypically "tough guy" on screen turns out to be kind, it's actually refreshing and says more about their talent than it does about their qualities as a human being.