Christian Bale Does the Right Thing
Last week, Batman star Christian Bale traveled here to Colorado to visit the victims of the Aurora Theater Shooting. I have read some articles that question whether the visit was purely a publicity stunt to receive favorable press, but the majority of the commentary insists this was a genuine gesture on Bale’s part with no ulterior motive involved.
The stereotypical view of celebrities being spotlight seeking, insecure egomaniacs may have some basis in fact, but it seems to be accurate to say Bale was truly thinking of his fans when he traveled here to visit. Although, I am sure he had a conversation with his publicist about how his personal brand could benefit from this event. To be honest, I think it was a little bit of both. It really seems Bale is sincere in his concern for his fans, though, since he arrived in Colorado not notifying the press of his arrival. The only news station in town that captured him on film visiting the victims’ memorial just so happened to be on the scene filming some b-roll. This authenticity will resonate loudly with not only his current fans, but his potential fans as well. Authenticity is so important when dealing with a celebrity and even comes into play in the corporate world.
Either way, Christian did the right thing. He genuinely reached out to victims of the tragedy and if he receives some benefit out of it, so be it.
–Adam O’Leary, President