It takes a while to grow a good amount of facial hair. Doing so does not happen in a few weeks time. That would only be stubble. There would be a bit of difficulty to growing it once the second week comes about. The once outward facing bristles actually become long enough to curl back into the face. This can cause some itchiness that any beard grower would like to avoid. Getting past this however will have its own reward provided that the skin was well taken care of. The excess hair during this period can tend to gather more dirt and grime. Washing it often will ensure a clean and healthy looking beard. This would free it from any specks or dandruff that would make it appear unhygienic. Committing to this routine is necessary in order to have an appreciable amount of growth after about a month or two.
One person that does not have to go through this kind of effort is Christian Bale. Since 2013, the former Dark Knight has been growing his locks as well as his facial hair. He initially did this for his part as Irving Rosenfeld, the con artist whose role was central to the story of the movie American Hustle. It received multiple Academy Award nominations including Best Actor for Bale’s masterful portrayal of Rosenfeld. He continued wearing his beard however for his next movie entitled Exodus: Gods and Kings. In it, he plays Moses the biblical figure that lead the Hebrews out of slavery from Egypt and into the Promised Land of Canaan. It was another epic performance that was complemented with awesome visual effects. Despite the fact that these films are no longer playing at the movie theaters, Christian’s beard remains.
He is perhaps one of the most dedicated method actors in his profession. His first noticeable transformation actually occurred while preparing for American Psycho back in 2000. He was able to sculpt his body to play the very exacting killer, Patrick Bateman. Bale’s role in 2004’s Machinist shocked everyone when it had him weighing at a frighteningly thin, one hundred twenty-one pounds. He actually had to lose sixty-three pounds for that movie only to rapidly gain it back for his famous portrayal of the Dark Knight in 2005’s Batman Begins. His weight went back down again in his appearance as a prisoner of war for Rescue Dawn in 2006. By now, he was already an expert in altering his physical appearance. Terminator Salvation that was released in 2009 required him to once again don a muscular frame. He quickly had to appear as a frail crack addict however for his role as Dicky Ecklund in 2010’s The Fighter. Muscling up for 2012’s Dark Knight Rises was no longer an issue though he had to lose this again for 2013’s Out of the Furnace. That same year, he packed on close to forty pounds for American Hustle. He was finally able to successfully slim down for his role as Moses in 2014’s Exodus: Gods and Kings.
This unwavering commitment to his work is what makes Christian Bale one of the most prodigious actors of his generation. Growing facial hair for a role might not even had taken so much as a slight afterthought to a man of his character. He probably did not exhibit any amount of impatience while waiting for it to grow. Christian did succeed at producing a very natural looking beard. There was also some noticeable stubble around his neck area though it seemed suitable for his current style. Most would start establishing a neckline and rounding out the corners to make it appear neater. For some reason, his beard did not appear untidy or scraggly. It seems that whatever he does, whether it is for his weight or facial would always appear appropriate for this highly talented actor.
