American Psycho: Unveiling 9 behind-the-scenes secrets from franchise

Christian Bale was not the first choice for the lead role in the notorious American Psycho franchise.

The satirical horror film duo populated a better part of the pop culture in the noughties, for its controversial premise and gruesome exhibit of violence, adapted from the 1991 novel by Bret Easton Ellis of the same name.

Check out some surprising facts about the Noughties’ classic that you might have not known.

Leonardo DiCaprio was the first choice for the role of Patrick Bateman, an investment banker during the day and serial killer at night. However, activist and journalist Gloria Steinem advised the actor against taking the role for fear of tainting his image as the young Hollywood heartthrob from Titanic at the time.

Christian Bale was met with similar skepticism from his audience and critics when he was announced as the main lead. The Batman alum was told that it’d be “career suicide” if he decides to sign the film.

Christian Bale’s “dorkiness” ended up becoming the element that warmed the cockles of the hearts of critics. Director Mary Harron hailed him the best choice for the role of Bateman and praised him for embracing the character’s awkwardness in its full accord.

The scene in which Bateman peels off his face mask to unveil his serial killer façade was flawlessly executed by Bale in the first take. The pivotal scene proved to be a key moment that helped establish the character’s persona.

The controversy surrounding Ellis’ novel when it was released made it hard for the production team to acquire relevant brands and songs for the film itself. The songs that were used were not only replaced with their alternative versions, but some of their lines had to be altered as well.

Easton Ellis closely participated in the film adaptation of his work, which called for his opinions and criticism over certain scenes while filming, including Bateman’s moonwalk prior to the murder of Paul Allen, played by Jared Leto.

Harron expressed her regret over changing the name of Jared Leto’s character from Paul Owen to Paul Allen in the film, a notion which led to misassumptions of a connection to the co-founder of Microsoft Paul Allen.

The earlier versions of the film contained scenes of Bateman with his family, which were later removed to avoid any excuses for the killer’s behavior, regardless of his dynamic with his family and troubled childhood.

Bale was nicknamed “Robo-Actor” on the set of the film, for displaying uncanny ability to control his sweat glands as a requirement for his character.