Christian Bale explains why he found Thor villain Gorr easier to play than Batman

Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder — (Image credit: Disney/Marvel)

Christian Bale has explained why he found Thor: Love and Thunder villain Gorr the God Butcher "easier to play" than Batman, despite the character going through the emotional wringer in the divisive Marvel movie.

In a new interview with Screen Rant, the British actor, who famously brought Bruce Wayne to life in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, claimed that onscreen baddies "not only have more fun", everybody watching is "fascinated" by them – so, as an actor, you know you've instantly got the audiences' attention. "The minute the bad guy walks on the screen, no one's looking at the good guy anymore," Bale told the publication. "All eyes go to the bad guy, so it's a much easier acting gig."

Starring the usual suspects, Tessa Thompson, writer-director Taika Waititi, and Chris Hemsworth, Thor: Love and Thunder sees the eponymous hero try to figure out what his life's purpose is – all while navigating the surprise return of his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who has started wielding Mjolnir and going by 'Mighty Thor'. When Thor learns that Gorr, a mysterious, god-killing menace has set his sights on Asgard, he must quickly learn to put his insecurities to one side to team up with Jane and save his people.

This isn't the first time Bale has suggested that portraying antagonists is a breeze. While promoting Thor: Love and Thunder earlier this year, he told Total Film and other press: "The beauty of it is that Taika [Waititi] can make it bloody hilarious – and then really moving as well in this story. I don't know if it's pushing it too much to say sympathy, but certainly, you sort of understand maybe why this guy is making awful decisions, and he is a monster and he is a butcher. But there is possibly a little understanding of why he came to be that way."