Batman star shrugs off 'Dark Night of Assult' claims
Troubled Batman star Christian Bale appeared to put accusations of assault behind him as he swept into Barcelona for the glittering Spanish premiere of The Dark Knight.
Bale, 34, appeared calm despite the furore caused by claims he assaulted his mother and one of his three sisters at one of London’s top hotels. He did not speak to reporters and made no comment about the incident.
The star greeted hundreds of fans who had thronged the red carpet outside the Mediterranean city’s Coliseum Theatre and spent half an hour signing autographs before entering the cinema, where hundreds more waited to see the film.
The Welsh-born actor who plays millionaire recluse Bruce Wayne and his bat-winged alter-ego looked relaxed in a tailored dark-blue suit as he asked each autograph seeker’s name before signing.
Many fans, including children, talked about the star whose performance as Batman has electrified filmgoers and helped push the movie’s take to a record £79.2m (€1bn) during its opening weekend in the US last week.
Around 25 camera crews waited outside the theatre.
“We expected some excitement but have truly been taken aback by all the media attention,” Warner Bros representative Gernot Dudda said.
Fellow actor Aaron Eckhart and director Christopher Nolan also spent time greeting fans and signing autographs.
The film also stars the late Heath Ledger as Batman’s nemesis The Joker.
Outside the Coliseum’s elegant baroque facade, built in 1923 inspired on the Opera in Paris, France, bat lights flickered as fans dressed as The Joker waited to go in.
Bale first made a splash as the child star of Steven Spielberg’s Empire Of The Sun in 1987. His screen credits also include American Psycho, The Machinist and Batman Begins.
The star reportedly attended a London police station on Tuesday on a voluntary basis and spent four hours there.
Bale has denied allegations of wrongdoing through his lawyers.
