Christian Bale Spent Six Hours in Makeup to Become Frankenstein’s Monster in “The Bride!”

Christian Bale went through an extreme transformation once again — this time for a monster role.

The Oscar-winning actor revealed that he spent six hours every day in the makeup chair to become Frankenstein’s monster in The Bride!, a bold new take on the classic horror story directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The film is a reimagining of the 1935 classic Bride of Frankenstein. Bale stars alongside Jessie Buckley, who plays the Bride. Buckley’s transformation was far less intense, taking about an hour and a half in makeup.

Bale admitted the long, silent hours were tough on his mental health. To cope, he found an unusual release.

“I would scream like crazy every day,” Bale said. “It was the only way to release all that despair and frustration from sitting still for so long.”

He explained that screaming alone or on the drive to work didn’t feel safe — or sane. So he started doing it at the makeup trailer. Before long, others joined in.

“The whole crew got involved,” he said. “People would hear us screaming, open the door, and ask if they could join. By the end, about 30 people were running in just to scream together.”

The moment, Bale joked, became its own kind of revolution — fitting for a film centered on the Bride.

Bale is famous for pushing his body to extremes for his roles. Over the years, he has undergone some of Hollywood’s most dramatic physical changes. He bulked up on an all-protein diet for American Psycho and then shocked fans by dropping 60 pounds to play a skeletal factory worker in The Machinist. His diet during that film reportedly included only water, an apple, and one cup of coffee a day.

Soon after, Bale reversed course yet again, gaining 100 pounds of muscle in just six months to play Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, directed by Christopher Nolan.

Now, with The Bride!, Bale adds another intense transformation to his long list — proving once more that he is willing to go to extreme lengths for his craft.

“The Bride!” opens in theaters on March 6, released by Warner Bros..