Who knew Christian Bale could look like Dick Cheney? The actor’s spot-on transformation into the former vice president is revealed in the first trailer for Vice, which was released on Wednesday, October 3.
The two-minute teaser opens with former president George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell) asking Bale’s character to be his running mate during his bid for the White House in 2000.
“Well, George, I’m a CEO of a large company and I have been secretary of defense and I have been White House chief of staff,” Cheney responds. “The vice presidency is a mostly symbolic job. However, if we came to a different understanding, I can handle the more mundane jobs: overseeing bureaucracy, military, energy and foreign policy.”
Bush laughs and replies, “Yeah. Right. I like that!”
The film chronicles Cheney’s road from a Washington bureaucrat to his time working with the administrations of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and ultimately Bush.
Bale, 44, who lost 60 pounds for his role in 2004’s The Machinist before bulking back up for 2005’s Batman Begins, packed on 40 pounds to play Cheney. He also shaved his head and bleached his eyebrows.
“I’ve just eaten a lot of pies so far,” the Oscar winner quipped during an interview with Variety in September 2017.
The biopic also stars Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Jesse Plemons, Lily Rabe and Tyler Perry. It is directed by The Big Short’s Adam McKay, and the producers include Will Ferrell and Brad Pitt.
Vice hits theaters on Tuesday, December 25.
