Did ‘Batman’ star Christian Bale assault his mother and sister?

What happened

The Dark Knight star Christian Bale was arrested on Tuesday over allegations by his mother and sister that he had assaulted them at the Dorchester Hotel in London on Sunday Night. (AP)

What the commentators said

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

It’s hard to believe that Bale would do something like this, said William Goss in the blog Cinematical. But two members of his family reported him to the police: Why would they both do this if some sort of “incident” hadn’t taken place?

It’s interesting that Christian Bale “refuses to discuss his personal life in interviews,” said Stuart Heritage in the Blog Heckler Spray. Maybe it’s because “he’s a right old mental loony”? On the other hand, he’s never shown signs of “having a barmy side,” and with the tremendous success of The Dark Knight, this should be one of the “happiest” times of his life.

Bale seemed fine on Monday night when he attended the first European screening of The Dark Knight, said Damien Francis in the Guardian. He even “took part in four press conferences” that day—“there was no sign of trouble.”

Still, it seems a little suspicious that he would get arrested right when The Dark Knight is coming out, said the blog Holy Moly! “Has playing the role of Batman gone to Christian Bale’s head?”

Maybe somebody “placed a curse” on the latest Batman movie, said Marc Rawden in the blog Cinema Blend. “First, the special effects coordinator dies,” then “heath Ledger accidentally overdoses,” and “now Christian Bale is being questioned for assaulting his own mother.”

If these allegations turn out to be true, said the blog Right Celebrity, I’m sure Bale’s step-mother—renowned feminist Gloria Steinem—will have “some choice words” for him.