Christian Bale finally reveals Dick Cheney's unfiltered thoughts of his 'Vice' portrayal (exclusive)
Christian Bale doesn't know for sure if Dick Cheney ever watched last year's political satire Vice, which netted Bale an Oscar nomination and Golden Globe win for playing Cheney.
But as Bale begrudgingly revealed to Yahoo Entertainment this week, he did receive a message secondhand from the 78-year-old former vice president, who served under George W. Bush for eight years. And it was short and not so sweet.
"Strangely enough it was through my son's school, one of the moms was at a party that [Cheney] was at, and she said, 'Oh, I'm going to be seeing Christian tomorrow, you have anything to say to him?'" Bale, 45, recounted to us during an interview for his latest film, Ford v Ferrari, where he was joined by costar Matt Damon (watch above).
"And he said, 'Tell him he's a dick.'"
Bale initially appreciated Cheney seemingly using his own first name as a double entendre to insult the actor.
"I went, 'Oh, at least he's got a sense of humor," Bale said. "And she said, 'No, there was no humor to it whatsoever.'"
It's understandable why Cheney would be salty. The Adam McKay-directed film painted Cheney as a manipulative war hawk who secretly called the shots in the White House during the Bush Administration. Not only that, but Bale — who was generally restrained about voicing his opinion about his subject while promoting the film — let his personal feelings be known when he famously called Cheney a "charisma-free a**hole" and thanked Satan for inspiring his performance during his Golden Globes acceptance speech.
The actor, who won an Oscar for 2010's The Fighter, is once again generating awards buzz for his turn in Ford v Ferrari. He and Damon play Ken Miles and Caroll Shelby, respectively, who teamed up in the 1960s to design a car for Ford Motors that could compete with the perennial frontrunners from Ferrari in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. Look for our full interview with the actors to come.
UPDATE: Yahoo was unable to reach Cheney’s office for comment, but a source close to the former vice president denied Bale’s claims in a statement to Fox News, saying, "Dick Cheney never has and never would send a message to Bale. Totally untrue."
Ford v Ferrari opens Nov. 15. Watch the trailer:
Read more on Yahoo Entertainment:
'Ford v Ferrari': Christian Bale shares a 'perfect' moment with his son in this exclusive clip
Christian Bale Endorses Robert Pattinson’s Batman, Shares His Best Batsuit Advice
Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyle's newsletter.