SPOILERS AHEAD for American Psycho!
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It’s been 20 years since Christian Bale killed Jared Leto with an axe — that is, it’s been two decades since the serial killer satire American Psycho opened in theaters on April 14, 2000. In honor of that anniversary, director Mary Harron shared her thoughts on one of her movie’s most infamous and grisliest scenes: Patrick Bateman’s (Bale) murder of his loathed rival, Paul Allen (played by Leto).
In the film, based on Bret Easton Ellis’s controversial novel, Wall Street investment banker Patrick Bateman turns serial killer. Although viewers had already seen Bateman kill a homeless man and a dog, the scene where Bateman brings home his drunk co-worker Paul Allen, gives him a lecture on the Huey Lewis and the News song “Hip to Be Square,” and then hacks him to death with an axe is the movie’s first real showcase of Bateman’s utter depravity and obsessive dedication to his, um, craft.
And as Harron tells it, Jared Leto never saw it coming. That shocked reaction from Leto seen in the movie was genuine.
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“We decided to shoot the rehearsal of the actual murder without telling Jared,” Harron told Entertainment Weekly.
“Christian held back his performance until then so that it would be a real surprise. When he screams ‘Hey Paul’ and Jared turns around and sees Christian running towards him with the axe, he looks genuinely shocked.”
Harron also recounted how arduous the all-night shoot was for the rest of the scene, which saw Bale splattered with blood while Leto lay on the floor awaiting dismemberment.
According to the director, “It’s not easy to do an ax murder.”
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For more on Jared Leto being shocked by things, you must read how Leto found out about the coronavirus.
Source: IGN.com It's Been 20 Years Since Christian Bale Killed (SPOILER!) With an Axe