Other actors involved in the film
However, not only Christian Bale starred in the film. “The Machinist” was honored with her presence by another star of American cinema – Jennifer Jason Leigh.
The actress became famous for her role as Hedy Carlson in the thriller Single White Female. Jennifer also played the leading role in the Coen brothers' eccentric comedy "The Hudsucker's Henchman" and in the adventure film "Existenza" by David Cronenberg.
In addition, the Italian-Spanish actress Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, known mainly to Spanish viewers, was involved in the film “The Machinist”.
Training program
The training consisted of basic exercises. They made it possible to work several muscle groups. The goal was to activate the fast-twitch muscle fibers that provide explosive power.
The training block included cardio, and the exercises had to be done quickly.
1st day. All exercises are performed in 4 sets:
- Exercises before starting the training. Superset: block pull to the belt and pull-ups on the pull-up bar. 12 times. Large weights are not used.
- Raising the barbell to the chest from the floor surface - 10/10/8/6 times. Large weights are not used.
- Lifting the barbell with a sharp push – 10/10/8/6 times.
Day 2:
- Sprint race for a distance of 10 m, 5 approaches, for a distance of 30 m, 5 approaches, for a distance of 40 m, 5 approaches. The break between each approach is 60 seconds, and between each distance 120 seconds.
- Squats with jumping – 10/10/8/6 times. Perform 4 sets. To prevent injury, you can use a backpack with weights instead of a barbell.
- Lunges – 10 times 4 sets.
3rd day:
- Superset: dumbbell flyes and bench press in a Smith machine. 3 sets are performed 12 times each. Large weights are not used to warm up the muscles.
- The Smith stance has an explosive bench press. 4 sets are performed. 10/10/8/6 times. Must be insured.
- “Rebounds” are performed in total within half an hour. The approach takes 2 minutes, then take a break for 30 seconds. The essence of the exercise is as follows. Mark two squares on the floor with an area of 30 by 30 cm. Then jump from corner to corner as quickly as possible, changing the direction of the jump.
Day 4: To increase blood flow to the muscles and speed up their recovery, active rest is recommended on day 4. This could be swimming or active competitions. Cardio exercises in total per day should not exceed an hour.
On topic: Functional training exercises for women
On days 5, 6, 7, the program of 1, 2, 3 days is repeated.
Diet for Batman
To quickly restore muscles, the actor consumed 4000 kcal per day. Every day Bale ate:
- 500 g carbohydrates;
- 350 g protein;
- 70–90 g fat.
To prevent fat gain, active training was carried out. Since Christian is a vegetarian, meat and fish had to be replaced with dairy products and eggs. The actor also ate hard cheese with 0% fat content. Thus, he received the required amount of protein. I also drank protein shakes. Food was consumed after 2–3 hours.
Film crew
The film “The Machinist” was directed by American Brad Anderson.
Before The Machinist, he was a regular director on the drama series The Wire. It has already been mentioned that Anderson is well acquainted with Russian literature, in particular with the legacy of Fyodor Dostoevsky. Subsequently, the director more than once gravitated toward Russian motifs. For example, in 2007, the crime film “Trans-Siberian Express” was released, the action of which allegedly takes place in Russia. In 2010, Anderson also directed the horror film Vanishing on 7th Street with Hayden Christensen, and in 2014, House of the Damned, starring Kate Beckinsale.
The film “The Machinist” had to be filmed in Spain, despite the fact that the action takes place in Los Angeles. The producer was Carlos Fernandez, a famous Spanish football player. The cameraman was found in Spain - Shavi Jimeness, who at one time shot “Agora” directed by Alejandro Amenabar and starring Rachel Weisz.
"American Hustle"
In the same year (2013), Bale had to gain weight again. Now not to look strong and athletic, but ugly and fat. In this film, Christine Bale's transformation was unconventional.
The actor had to gain weight so that his sides and hanging belly were visible, because he played an arrogant and immoral swindler. As you might guess, there were no problems with weight gain - Christian simply ate fatty and unhealthy foods in large quantities.
