Christian Bale Drowned Out Taylor Swift in ‘Amsterdam’ Duet

Christian Bale Was Told to Sing Quieter During ‘Amsterdam’ Duet With Taylor Swift: ‘Like We Had Been Drowning Out an Angel’s Voice’

Christian Bale and Taylor Swift in ‘Amsterdam.’
Courtesy 20th Century Studios (2)

It was a humble moment. Christian BaleThought he and costar John David WashingtonThey did a great job singing during filming Amsterdam – until director David O. RussellHad Taylor SwiftYou can help them get on track. 

“Our pitch was all over the place … and then all of a sudden, David just goes, ‘How about Christian and J.D. just shut up for this one and let Taylor do it?’” Bale, 48, said during an interview with The Hollywood ReporterThat article was published Friday, September 30, 2009. “And it was like we had been drowning out an angel’s voice all day long with our cacophony  and our rough, terrible voices.” 

The Batman Begins star – who has previously showed off his singing pipes in various films including Empire of the Sun and Newsies — joked that it was “really something” to have “someone with as beautiful a voice as [Swift’s]Before singing next, he noted that he and Tenet star, 38 had taken it all in good fun. 

Christian Bale Was Told to Sing Quieter During ‘Amsterdam’ Duet With Taylor Swift: ‘Like We Had Been Drowning Out an Angel’s Voice’

Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington in ‘Amsterdam.’
Courtesy 20th Century Studios

“It was a very funny scene, actually, because J.D. and myself had been practicing that song a little bit,” he quipped. “David had us sing it all day long, but then there were moments where I would forget the lyrics. So I’d look at J.D., he’d look at me and then he’d forget, too. I would then have to say it to him. We were then going flat. Our pitch was all over the place, but we were like, ‘Yeah, but the feeling is right!’”

It was built in the 1930s during Great Depression. Amsterdam centers around three friends — Burt (Bale), Harold (Washington) and Valerie (Margot Robbie) — who become suspects after witnessing a murder of a U.S. senator, uncovering one of the most outrageous plots in American history. Swift, 32, is also featured in the film. Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert De Niro. 

Bale kept his song with the pop singer a secret at first, but he did share the news with Emmeline Belle, his daughter, who he shares with his wife. Sibi Blazic.

The 17-year-old was not impressed but more horrified. “I went to my daughter and said, ‘You know who I sang with today? Taylor Swift.’ And she was like, ‘Wait, what? Why would she? You be doing that?’” he shared.

This isn’t the first time The Big Short star has consulted daughter Emmeline — and 7-year-old son Joseph — about his career choices. After explaining that he might not be able work on, he said so. Thor: Love and ThunderHis children quickly corrected him. 

“There were some potential scheduling conflicts,” Bale told ScreenrantIn June. “I said to my family, ‘I don’t think it’s going to work out,’ and they went, ‘No, you make it work out. You’re doing this, Dad.’ They gave me my marching orders, and I dutifully obeyed.”

Pushing the American HustleIt was a remarkable feat to bring an actor into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. — especially considering he didn’t know what it was before filming the superhero adventure. 

“People would go, ‘Oh, look at this! He’s entered the MCU!’ And I’d go, ‘I’ve done what? I haven’t entered s—t, thank you very much. ‘ I’m like, ‘The MCU?’ I had to ask what that was.”

Amsterdam premieres in theaters on Friday, October 7.