Christian Bale gives his take on the ending of The Dark Knight Rises
Warning: If you have not watched Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, and you care about being surprised by the final scene of the final movie, stop reading this now.
Onward: Christian Bale is making the interview rounds for his new film, Exodus, but when he spoke with Entertainment Weekly, he was inevitably asked about Bruce Wayne. In the final film, loyal butler Alfred tells Wayne that he has a dream in which the tortured antihero finds peace, perhaps sitting in some European cafe, where he and Alfred then lock eyes, acknowledge the moment, and go on with their lives. And at the end of The Dark Knight Rises, that is exactly what happens. But this being a Christopher Nolan film, some fans have suggested that the sequence is nothing more than a dream, and Alfred never really saw Wayne.
Not so, says Christian Bale.
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"I find it very interesting…with most films… it's what the audience thinks it is." Bale says. "My personal opinion is no, that was not a dream. That that was for real and he was just delighted to have finally freed himself from the privilege, but ultimately the burden, of being Bruce Wayne."
Listen to the full response, and read more about Bale's new film, over at Entertainment Weekly.
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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
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