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The Business

Making 'The Fighter;' Christian Bale's Esquire Interview

The Fighter is a natural awards-bait movie but producer David Hoberman says that in today's Hollywood, studios didn't want to make it. It started as a $70 million film produced by Paramount and ended up as an $18 million film made with outside money from Relativity Media. Along the way Matt Damon and Brad Pitt showed interest, as did director Darren Aronofsky, but all dropped out leaving the producers to scramble. Also, Christian Bale, whose performance in The Fighter is generating Oscar buzz, goes a few rounds with the writer of an Esquire magazine Q&A. We talk with John H. Richardson about his unconventional and utterly entertaining encounter with this reluctant celebrity.

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By Kim Masters • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read
  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Kim Masters

    partner/writer at Puck News, host of KCRW's “The Business.”

  • KCRW placeholder

    Darby Maloney

    Producer

  • KCRW placeholder

    David Hoberman

    Producer, 'The Fighter'

  • KCRW placeholder

    John H. Richardson

    Contributing Writer, Esquire magazine

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