As far as whiners go, I actually put George Clooney pretty far down the list, well below some of the other tabloid regulars who love to play the victim of the paparazzi and tabloid media. But to Christian Bale, Clooney is, like, the standard-bearer for whining about the paps. What the what, man? Bale has an interview in the new issue of the Wall Street Journal Magazine and he talks about his philosophy for dealing with the paparazzi, and he throws significant shade on Clooney for some reason:
Christian Bale has blasted former “Batman” George Clooney for “whining” about being hounded by paparazzi.
In a WSJ. Magazine cover story, Bale calls Clooney’s complaints “boring,” adding, “It doesn’t matter that he talks about it. It’s like, ‘Come on, guys, just shut up. Just get on with it and live your lives and stop whining about it.’ I prefer not to whine about it.”
Bale — who manages to keep his personal life with wife Sibi Blazic out of the spotlight — has a reputation for being hot-headed, but avoids confrontations with photographers.
“I was in Italy with my wife,” he recalls in the Q&A with Andrew Goldman.
“I would go to work; she would leave the hotel. There would be a man who stood outside ... and say the most obscene things imaginable to my wife ... I know what he’s after; he has a strategy there. Am I able to say I’m not gonna give him that satisfaction of angry Christian Bale coming after this man? But equally, he’s killing my humanity and my dignity as a husband if I do not, and he knows this. So you’ve got a choice.”
Yeah… I’m still mystified? Bale has a reputation as an angry, intense guy, so obviously some photographers try to get him to lose his temper, because they can sell those photos for big money. George Clooney does not have a reputation as an angry, intense guy and as we could see during his Italian wedding extravaganza, George has a cozy relationship with the mainstream and tabloid press. Granted, George has whined about the paparazzi years and years ago – like right after Princess Diana died and George made that big fuss. But it’s been decades, hasn’t it? Hm. Update: CB reminded me of this story, where Clooney sued some photographers and magazines for using telephoto lens to photograph people inside his Lake Como home. See, to me that’s a legitimate complaint, not whining. And if a celebrity actually sues, that’s not whining either.
You know who would have made an even better target for Bale? Alec Baldwin. Baldwin is always complaining and throwing (violent) hissy fits, but he’s married to a total (golddigging) famewhore.
PS… I really hope Bale and Clooney get into some immature tit-for-tat in the press about this. Boyfight!
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
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