Johnny Depp has a famously good professional relationship with Tim Burton, and he must get along well enough with the cast and crew of Pirates of the Caribbean to make three movies with them, but when it came time to work with Christian Bale, the two actors kept their distance from one another.
While working on Public Enemies, which comes out in theaters today, the actors barely talked to one another off camera. Bale says that when he met Depp on-set, that was the first time they had ever spoken. “We didn’t know each other in the slightest. In fact, I met him at the script reading. We chatted for five or 10 minutes. Then we met again on the set during our two scenes together.”
Since the two play rivals in the film (Depp plays John Dillinger and Bale plays Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent bent on killing Dillinger), Bale explained that his method of acting didn’t allow for a lot of socialization with his co-star. “I wish to not talk unless we’re doing the scene. I enjoy it that way. Johnny seemed happy to do it that way, too. So the answer is: No, we really didn’t get to know each other better between each take. So I guess I’ll have to wait and get to know Johnny Depp someday.”
Above, Depp and Bale are pictured together at the film’s premiere with co-star Marion Cotillard and director Michael Mann. [Source: Chicago Sun-Times; Photo: Getty Images]
