Werner Herzog wanted to push Christian Bale's 'buttons' before casting him in Rescue Dawn

As Bale recounted in a chat with Entertainment Weekly, Herzog sat down with the actor and made it as clear as possible what the role would require. The film would, of course, tell the story of Dengler's detention in captivity and all the trials that went with it. From eating snakes and maggots to being dragged by a water buffalo (everything Bale did for real), the film's stunts and events were designed to provide a look unflinching about what Dengler and his fellow captives have been through. .

During the meeting between Herzog and Bale, the director made sure not to water down his pitch. As the actor recalls:

"He was just trying to press my buttons and see how I reacted. He just wanted to see if I flinched, basically. He does that a lot with people."

There is no doubt that Herzog's well-documented eccentricity and passion for the extreme played into his button pressing during the meeting. But it seems the director was also aware that Bale would have to suffer far worse than Herzog's incitement if he was to survive filming. Regardless, the film's future star apparently wasn't fazed by the meeting, saying he remained interested in the film's lead character being a clear "mixture of Dieter and Werner." Additionally, it seems the 'Dark Knight' star wanted to get a close look at Herzog's notorious personality, saying, "Knowing Werner's reputation, I wanted to see for myself."

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