Closer Look: Vice with Christian Bale and Amy Adams

Christian Bale has a history of drastically transforming himself for roles. Whether it’s dropping weight for The Machinist or Rescue Dawn, putting on muscle for Christopher Nolan’sBatman trilogy, or packing on extra pounds for American Hustle. His latest film, Vice, follows in the latter's footsteps.

“It’s not miserable gaining weight. It’s miserable losing weight.” 

For Vice, Bale took things a step farther, adopting the appearance of a real-life figure — former Vice-President of the United States, Dick Cheney.

Physical mimicry is just part of the equation. To fully inhabit the role, Bale had to prepare by diving into Cheney's mind. He explained what his process entailed.

“For me, just endless amounts of watching him giving interviews, listening to him, reading books.”

Amy Adams co-stars as Dick Cheney's wife Lynn. We asked her about playing the strong, intelligent woman by a powerful man's side.

“I love that you say 'by his side,' because so many say ‘It’s the woman behind the man,’ and I’m like, ‘She’s not in the shadows; she’s standing right next to him.”

While former Vice-President Cheney is front and center in Vice, Bale explained that the story is really about the relationship between the man and his wife.

“This is all about Dick’s love for Lynn. We never would have had Dick Cheney. We never would have had the Iraq War. We never would have had enhanced interrogation, warrantless wiretapping, any of that, if it wasn’t for Lynn. Because she gave him the ambition."

Bale explained how Lynn’s ultimatum, after Cheney had been brought home for drunk driving, sparked the changes in the man who would change history.

“His love for her made him change himself completely -- and he became the youngest White House Chief of Staff, an incredible rocket of ambition, and then V.P.”

You can see Christian Bale and Amy Adams transform into Dick and Lynn Cheney when Vice hits theaters on December 25th.