Anchorman director says Christian Bale ‘saved his life’ following heart attack

The hero we deserve, but also the one Adam McKay needed right then

Anchorman and The Big Short director Adam McKay has explained how he credits Christian Bale with saving his life. Well, sort of.

Bale stars in McKay’s new film Vice, as former Vice President of the USA Dick Cheney.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO3GsRQO0dM

Cheney has suffered five heart attacks in his life, and being the intense actor that he is, Bale did research on the symptoms and and affects of them as part of his preparations for the role.

McKay told The New York Times Magazine that when he suffered a heart attack himself in January this year, he realised what was happening because of the research Bale had told him about.

McKay felt unwell after a work-out session, but initially didn’t think much of it until he remembered what Bale had told him.

“[Bale] met with a heart surgeon, and he said: ‘There’s a lot of ways you can show a heart attack. The hands tingling is one, the most common one is the pain in the arm, but what’s really common is queasiness,’”  McKay explained. “And in that moment, I ran upstairs [to get help from his wife].” 

McKay took three aspirin while his wife called 911.

“And then about two days later, I called Bale and I said, ‘Hey man, either you or Dick Cheney saved my life.’ ”

[caption id="attachment_210612" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Christian Bale and Adam McKay with Amy Schumer at the 2016 Critics' Choice Awards.[/caption]

McKay confirmed in the interview that he went on to make a full recovery.

The director was previously best known for making comedies, often starring Will Ferrel, such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Step Brothers. However his 2015 film The Big Short, also starring Bale, Ryan Gosling, and Steve Carell, bagged him the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and a nomination for Best Director. Vice also stars Amy Adams as Cheney's wife Lynne, Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld, and Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush.