Terminator Salvation - tremendous acting - National Acting

Christian Bale (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

I don't think I'm like any of the characters I've played - they're all really far from who I am.
Christian Bale

It is easy to see that Terminator Salvation is a hit. We've all come to know to expect extreme special effects now-a-days, if not, there wouldn't be such movies as sci-fi films - but we still need the assist of human actors as well - amazing how the robots put up with them - human actors.

Although there are not as many special effects in this film as previously planned. One of the reasons had to do with Bale's agreement with the director, this film was to be more character-oriented.

In this case, Christian Bale is the human to watch out for, or to save the day - it depends on what side of the robot you are on.

Terminator Salvation is a 2009 American science fiction post-apocalyptic war film released on May 21, 2009 in United States. It is the fourth film in the Terminator series and stars Christian Bale as John Connor and Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright, a cyborg who believes he is human.

Howard & Bale (AP Photo/Warner Bros.)

This film also introduces a young version of the first film's hero, Kyle Reese, played by Anton Yelchin, and depicts the origins of the T-800 Model 101 Terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Roland Kickinger.

The premise this time is that the format of previous entries in the series is abandoned. Before it only revolved around Terminators and various other characters traveling through time to either kill or protect John Connor.

Those were the events that preceded Judgment Day. Another "event" is that of Terminator Salvation being the first film in the series to receive the PG-13. Hello, now it opens up to a larger and younger audience.

(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Christian Bale's character is that of John Connor - a soldier in the Resistance waging war against Skynet after it destroyed much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust, who is destined to become humanity's leader.

Director McG deemed Bale "the most credible action star in the world" during development. Originally McG wanted Bale to play Marcus, but the actor – for reasons he "can't really remember why" – wanted to play Connor, and that led to the character's role getting expanded in rewrites of the script.

Bale was the first person to be cast and signed on for the role in November 2007. McG talked extensively with Bale in the UK about the role while the latter was filming The Dark Knight, and they both agreed to proceed.

(AP Photo/Warner Bros., Richard Foreman)

In addition to Bale there is a wonderful Terminator Salvation cast, some of whom are: Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard, Common, Jane Alexander & Helena Bonham Carter. Release of fighting actors - Tatum & Bale

Bale is a fan of the Terminator series, but he was at first uninterested to be part of the cast until McG convinced him otherwise. McG agreed with Bale that the story would be character-based and not rely on special effects.

The story was worked on every day to get that right. Bale even broke his hand punching a Terminator prop during filming. Bale also spent six to eight hours each day with McG in the editing room to advise the finished product.

I kind of like movies where I just get to just be dirty and crawling in the mud." - Bale

As a child, Bale trained in ballet and guitar. His sister Louise's work in theatre also influenced his decision to become an actor. Bale's father was very supportive of his son's acting, resigning from his job as a commercial pilot to travel and manage Bale's career.

Christian Bale - Age 14

Bale's first introduction into acting was a commercial for the fabric softener Lenor in 1982, when he was eight years old. He appeared in a Pac-Man cereal commercial playing a child rock star a year later and in 1984 made his stage debut in the The Nerd.

Bale made his film debut as Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich of Russia in the made-for-television film Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna in 1986, which was followed by leading roles in the miniseries Heart of the Country and the fantasy adventure Mio in the Land of Faraway.

In 1987, Amy Irving, his co-star in Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, recommended Bale to her then-husband, Steven Spielberg, for a role in Empire of the Sun, adapted from the J.G. Ballard semi-autobiography. Bale's performance as Jim Graham earned him widespread critical praise and the first ever "Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor" award from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.

Serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho made audiences see the actor in Bale, if they had not already. He played an assortment of diverse characters from 2001 on, with his next role was as Mandras, a Greek fisherman who vied with Nicolas Cage's title character for the affections of the desirable Pelagia (Penelope Cruz) in Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

It was reported that Bale had previously auditioned for the role of Robin in Batman Forever (1995), but lost out to Chris O'Donnell. However, this rumor was later dispelled by Bale himself in a magazine interview in 2008. In 2004, after shooting The Machinist, Bale won the coveted role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman Begins.

After Batman Begins, Bale returned to doing independent films.

Bale now having the lead role of John Connor in Terminator Salvation film, he will also appear as FBI agent Melvin Purvis in Michael Mann's Public Enemies.