The Dark Knight Rises star Christian Bale visits Aurora shooting victims of his own accord

It wasn’t too long ago that people everywhere were calling Christian Bale’s character into question after he lost his temper with the director of photography on TERMINATOR: SALVATION.  The passionate actor, well known for his intensity, is now showing his compassionate side by visiting the victims of the Aurora, Colorado shooting in a move that is not perpetuated by the studio, but of the actor’s own volition.

“Mr. Bale is there as himself, not representing Warner Brothers,” a representative for the studio has said. Bale previously released a statement about the horrific event, saying, “Words cannot express the horror that I feel. I cannot begin to truly understand the pain and grief of the victims and their loved ones, but my heart goes out to them.”

Bale arrived at the hospital around 2 p.m., meeting with seven of the victims.   Bill Voloch, interim president of Medical Center of Aurora said that Bale spent 2 and a half hours at the hospital, talking with the victims and staff, posing for pictures, and pretty much being a stand up human being all around. 

“The patients were really happy to meet Bale,” Voloch said. “They are obviously big fans of his movies. They wanted to see Batman and were really pleased to see Bale.” he said.  “It was good for the patients.  We hope it was therapeutic for them, and all the staff really appreciated him coming.”

The fact that Bale is there on his own, as himself, speaks volumes about the man and he’s absolutely earned my respect, no matter how many DP’s he blows up on.

Check out the photos below, which have trickled in via Twitter and Facebook (i.e. no high res publicity shots). The man in the first photo is Carey Rottman, who was shot in the leg during the attack.  Rottman updated his Facebook status after the shooting with: “Shot in the leg at Batman. Where is he when you need him. Please pray for everyone there.”

In the face of this tragic event, it’s things like this that help people heal and restore hope to humanity.  We often get quite cynical about Hollywood and people in general, but sometimes, as Bale/Batman put it in The Dark Knight, our faith is rewarded.