An Oscar for Heath Ledger? Knight Cast Thinks So

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Heath Ledger's costars from The Dark Knight, including two-time Batman Christian Bale, took turns at a press event this weekend praising and remembering the late actor's intense style. A few of them are even lobbying for a gold statue on his behalf.

"Definitely," said Aaron Eckhart, who plays doomed district attorney Harvey Dent to Ledger's droll and very creepy Joker. "Why not?"

Fellow cast member Gary Oldman was more pointed about it.

"Heath had this frequency none of us could hear," said Oldman. "The Academy tends to overlook movies like this, but this acting is so good it's going to be very hard for them to avoid it."

His other Gotham cohorts marveled at Ledger's obsession with detail:

He patched together influences ranging from A Clockwork Orange to ventriloquist dummies to Charlie Chaplin. The result: a Joker so demented and creepy he makes Nicholson's 1989 version look like Elton John in a bad mood.

"He called me during preproduction from time to time to tell me what he was working on," director Christopher Nolan recalled. "He told me he was researching the way ventriloquist dummies talk. It was a bit peculiar."

But when Nolan finally saw Heath's Joker onscreen, he got it. Ledger was trying for a vocal style that would match the Joker's chaotic character; even his pitch would be unpredictable, the same way that ventriloquists' voices would suddenly switch from low to high.

"He's raised the bar," said Bale.

If the Academy does honor Ledger for his Joker character, it would be only the second posthumous acting win ever. The first went to Peter Finch for the 1976 movie Network.

by E!

Christian Bale Is a 'Big-Hearted, Good Guy,' Says Director

Photo by: Carlos Alvarez / Getty

As Christian Bale weathers what he calls "a deeply personal matter," he has Terminator Salvation director McG firmly in his corner.

"He's the most professional, passionate actor you're ever going to find," McG said of the Dark Knight star during a Saturday panel discussion at Comic-Con in San Diego. "I mean it's just that simple … Bale is just all about the work. He loves his wife, he loves his child, he loves being an actor. He's not interested in materialist things. He wants to come to work prepared."

The director added that the 34-year-old Bale, who plays hero John Connor in the upcoming fourth installment of the Terminator franchise, is passionate about his work – in a good way. "I can't go, 'Okay, Christian, you go out camera left," said McG. "Christian's going to talk to me … you know – 'What went into the decision to go off camera left?' – which is wonderful. It's the elegant opposition you want."

"And just for the record," added McG, "he's a big-hearted, good guy – and I've worked with a lot of people – and that's just simply who he is."

It has been a roller coaster few weeks for Bale: The Dark Knight has been breaking box office records even as the actor has been dealing with the fallout from his July 22 arrest following assault allegations made by his mother and sister.

Dark Knight Makes Record-Breaking $300M in 10 Days

Heath Ledger as the Joker
Photo by: Warner Bros

No argument: The Dark Knight is Hollywood's brightest light.

The Batman adventure, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, shattered another box-office benchmark this weekend – reaching beyond the $300 million mark in a mere 10 days.

The movie grossed $75.6 million in its second weekend in theaters, bringing its North American box-office total to $314,245,000, Warner Bros. head of distribution Dan Fellman tells the Associated Press.

The number breaks the record established by 2006's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which hit $300 million after 16 days.

Fellman says Dark Knight could conceivably reach the $400-million mark in about 18 days – placing it ahead of Shrek 2's 43-day record in 2004.

Hold on to your life preservers – The Dark Knight might also surpass 1997's Titanic as the highest-grossing film in U.S. history, according to Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. That sinking-ship saga, starring Leonardo Di Caprio, made $600,788,188 domestically.

Rounding out this weekend's top five at the box office were Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in Step Brothers, with an estimated $30 million; Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia!, $17.9 million; David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in The X-Files: I Want to Believe, $10.2 million; and Brendan Fraser in Journey to the Center of the Earth, $9.4 million.

Christian Bale Calls Family Dispute a 'Deeply Personal Matter'

Photo by: Carlos Alvarez / Getty

Addressing reporters Thursday, Christian Bale spoke only briefly about his recent arrest in connection to an assault allegation filed by his mother and sister.

"It's a deeply personal matter," the Dark Knight star, 34, said at at a press conference for the movie in Barcelona, Spain. "I would ask you to respect my privacy in the matter."

Bale spent four hours in a London police station on Tuesday and was released pending further inquiry. He denies the allegations and cooperated voluntarily, according to a statement released by his lawyers.

On Wednesday, he walked the red carpet in Barcelona for his film's Spanish premiere with wife Sibi, signing autographs and posing for photos with fans but avoiding reporters.

The controversy hasn't hurt The Dark Knight's record-setting success: After scoring the biggest opening weekend in Hollywood history, taking in $158.3 million, it has since become the fastest movie to top $200 million in U.S. box office history.

by People.

Christian Bale Braves Red Carpet at Barcelona Dark Knight Premiere

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Making his first public appearance since being questioned by police for allegations of assault earlier this week, actor Christian Bale surprised many on Wednesday by showing up to the Barcelona premiere of his new hit film The Dark Knight.

The 34-year-old star is accused of assault by his sister and mother after a Sunday night altercation at London's Dorchester Hotel that ultimately resulted in Christian spending four hours being questioned by police on Tuesday morning. Through a statement released by his rep, the actor has denied any wrongdoing in the situation.

At the premiere in Barcelona, Christian walked the red carpet with his wife Sibi, as well as his Dark Knight co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal. And though he did stop to sign several autographs for his adoring fans outside the Coliseum Theater, Christian did not answer any questions from reporters.

This is the second premiere this week for the cast and crew of The Dark Knight. After the incident at the Dorchester, but before the news of the scandal broke, Christian attended Monday night's star-studded screening at the Odeon Theatre in London's Leicester Square.

by OK!

Christian Bale Denies Assault Allegations

Photo by: Ronald Asadorian / Splash News

Christian Bale's attorneys released a statement Tuesday denying assault allegations that led to the actor's arrest in London.

"Christian Bale attended a London police station today, on a voluntary basis, in order to assist with an allegation that had been made against him to the police by his mother and sister," the star's lawyers said in the statement. "Mr. Bale who denies the allegation, co-operated throughout, gave his account in full of the events in question, and has left the station without any charge being made against him by the police. At this time, there will be no further comment by Mr. Bale."

Bale, 34, was arrested in the Belgravia precinct station on Tuesday for a Sunday incident in which he allegedly lashed out at his mother, Jenny, 61, and sister Sharon, 40, at London's Dorchester Hotel. He was staying at the hotel before Monday's U.K. premiere of The Dark Knight.

"There was an incident but the police are dealing with it," Sharon told the Telegraph newspaper in the U.K. "It is an extremely sensitive situation. There is nothing more I can say."

According to Britain's The Sun newspaper, the women reported the incident in Hampshire on Monday, and the case was turned over to London officers.

Bale was released later Tuesday with a 10-man police escort, in a blacked-out silver Mercedes people carrier. Bale is to return to police in September, pending further inquiry, a police spokesperson tells PEOPLE.

It is a policy in England to arrest a suspect before questioning him in connection to a possible crime. Bale has not been formally charged.

Christian Bale Released After Alleged Assault Arrest

Christian Bale in London
Photo by: Gareth Cattermole / Getty

Batman's Christian Bale was arrested in London Tuesday, following assault allegations reportedly made by his own mother and sister.

He was released from the precinct station later in the afternoon, and he is to return to a station in September, pending further inquiry, a police rep tells PEOPLE.

Bale, 34, allegedly lashed out at his mother Jenny, 61, and sister Sharon, 40, on Sunday at London's Dorchester hotel, where the actor was staying before Monday's U.K. premiere of The Dark Knight.

According to Britain's The Sun newspaper, Bale's mother and sister went to a police station in Hampshire Monday, which turned the case over to London officers.

“A 34-year-old man attended a central London police station this morning, by appointment, and was arrested in connection with an allegation of assault," a police spokesman told PEOPLE. "He is currently in custody.”

It is a policy in England to arrest a suspect before questioning him in connection to a possible crime. Bale has not been formally charged, therefore the police did not release his name.

Late afternoon Tuesday, a police spokeswoman told PEOPLE: "A 34-year-man has been [asked] to return to a central London police station on a date in September, pending further inquiries."

At 4:20 p.m. London time, Bale, with a 10-man police escort, was taken from the Belgravia police station's rear exit into a blacked-out silver Mercedes people carrier and transported to the Dorchester hotel, where he was driven into the underground entrance.

Monday – the morning after the alleged incident – Bale appeared on GMTV, a U.K. morning show. Bloggers called the actor grumpy, but a GMTV spokesman told PEOPLE, "He didn't seem on edge."

Bale is scheduled to be in Barcelona Thursday for the record-breaking film's Spanish-language premiere.

by People.