Sebastian Stan is crediting Christian Bale for inspiring his unconventional roles.
Stan told GQ UK that fellow MCU star Bale was a guiding light early in his career.
“Watching Christian Bale do ‘The Fighter’ and watching him do ‘Batman’ and ‘Vice’ and ‘The Machinist’… He was a guy that, to me, could have made very conventional choices because he’s very good at any of it,” Stan said. “But then he’s trying these things.”
Stan has appeared in TV series such as “Gossip Girl” before making his indie debut with films like “I, Tonya,” “Fresh,” and “A Different Man.” The actor has also had a decade-long role in Marvel films with the “Captain America” franchise.
Stan also credited the versatility of Robert Downey Jr., who will return to the MCU as Doctor Doom after playing Iron Man, for carving out yet another aspirational career path.
“After ‘Tropic Thunder,’ is there anything that guy can’t do?” “Thunderbolts” actor Stan added.
Stan told IndieWire in 2022 that he never wants to “feel comfortable, work-wise,” and always take on challenging, subversive roles.
“I feel like I’m just as anxious now about what do I do next as I was a few years ago,” Stan said. “I don’t know if that’s ever going to change, and I don’t know if I’m ever going to want it to change. I hate comfort. I don’t like to feel comfortable, work-wise. I feel it’s easy to get comfortable. I think it’s easy to get sort of trapped as an actor and to just do things.”
He added, “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve thought more and more about what it is that I want from [my career]. And I think what I want from it is to be able to go to a work environment where I can collaborate and where I can feel that we’re all on the same team and we all have a common goal and there’s support there and there’s a generous spirit about it. And quite frankly, that hasn’t been as easy on an entirely male-driven environment. There’s a lot of ego. I’ve certainly worked with older male actors who have taken time to put me in my place in my younger years. At the end of the day, it’s just like, where do you function at your best?”
