Latest news with #ChristianBale
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fact Check: 'Batman' actor Christian Bale is building a village for foster children in California
Claim: Actor Christian Bale is building 12 homes in a $22 million village in Palmdale, California, that aims to keep siblings in the foster-care system together. Rating: In July 2025, a claim (archived) circulated that "Batman" actor Christian Bale would live up to his character's reputation as a wealthy do-gooder by building 12 homes in a $22 million village in Palmdale, California, that aimed to keep siblings in the foster-care system together. One popular Reddit version of the claim, titled "Guy might actually be Bruce Wayne.." detailed the plans for the village, praising Bale's intention to change the lives of vulnerable children. Guy might actually be Bruce innextfuckinglevel The claim circulated on X (archived), Instagram (archived) and Facebook (archived). Snopes readers also searched our site for more information about the rumor. The heartwarming claim is true. Bale and Together California, a charity founded by the actor; his wife, Sibi; and University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Eric Esrailian, broke ground on the project in 2024. According to Together California, the village, located near Palmdale, will feature 12 homes and a community center. The project was estimated to cost $22 million at the time of the groundbreaking, according to international media. According to Together California's Facebook page (archived), construction remained ongoing in late June 2025. In May 2025, CBS reported the village was hoping to welcome its first children "next year." CBS also reported that "trained foster parents" would take care of the children living in the village. According to AC Martin, the architects on the project, Together California's "Village for Brothers and Sisters" will feature 12 town house units for children in foster care, two studio units for young adults transitioning out of the foster-care system, a 7,000-square-foot community building and outdoor space. Bale first got involved with the U.S. foster-care system in 2008, according to CBS, after considering what would happen to his own daughter if she were left without her parents. DALTON, ANDREW. "Christian Bale Breaks Ground on Foster Homes He's Fought for 16 Years to See Built." AP News, 7 Feb. 2024, Gardner, Chris. "Christian Bale Breaks Ground on 16-Year Passion Project: 12 New Homes for Foster Children." The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024, "Our Village." Together California, Accessed 19 June 2025. Shoard, Catherine. "Christian Bale Unveils Plans to Build 12 Foster Homes in California." The Guardian, 8 Feb. 2024. The Guardian, Smith, Tracy, and Jennifer Earl. Christian Bale's on a Mission to Keep Foster Siblings Together. For Him, It's the Role of a Lifetime. - CBS News. 18 May 2025, Together California. "Together California Had the Incredible Opportunity to Sit down with CBS Sunday Morning and Speak about the Mission That Drives Us Every Day. ." Facebook, 7 June 2025, Together California: A Village for Brothers & Sisters. Accessed 19 June 2025. Williams, Martha. "Christian Bale Breaks Ground on 12 Foster Homes in California." Mail Online, 9 Feb. 2024, Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Batman' actor Christian Bale and a nonprofit entrepreneur are giving foster kids homes and hope
'I've been so blessed in coming to America, what it has given me,' British 'Batman' actor Christian Bale tells Key News Network. He knows plenty of others are far less fortunate. When his now-adult daughter was 3 and his son was 9, Bale began to wonder what would happen if something terrible befell him and his wife, Sibi. Where would the kids go? Who would take care of them? 'I couldn't bear imagining if we weren't around and they would have to be split up.' Up to three-quarters of kids who enter the foster-care system are not placed with their siblings. 'So when I learned that, I said, 'All right, we've got to do something.'' Advertisement 4 Christian Bale and his wife, Sibi, break ground last year on their Palmdale, Calif., center — inspired by their concerns for their own kids. Getty Images Seventeen years later, that something is about to get off the ground. Together California, a community for Los Angeles County families caring for foster children, will open its doors next year in Palmdale. Each family will have one certified foster parent paid a stipend to look after the children full time. Each of its dozen homes will be licensed to take in up to six children, with the priority placed on sibling groups the county would otherwise have trouble keeping together. The houses are being built to accommodate large groups — with industrial-sized washing machines and refrigerators, for instance. A community center will offer resources like parenting classes to other area folks as well and provide counseling and tutoring services the foster kids might otherwise have to travel to receive. The center also affords a venue for visits with their biological families. Advertisement 'When siblings reside in different homes,' a Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services spokeswoman tells The Post, 'parents may experience challenges planning family time with their children.' Siblings aren't placed together for a variety of reasons, she says, such as 'half-siblings residing with non-offending parents; children from blended families residing with kin; and a need for specialized care for a single child in a sibling set.' But there are also cases where foster families simply cannot accommodate everyone. 4 Together California aims to keep siblings in the same foster family, which studies show makes children more likely to thrive. Together California Placing siblings together has clear benefits — including fewer behavioral problems and a higher chance they will both like and adapt to their foster homes and have better academic performance. Advertisement But many foster parents don't have the capacity either in space or time to care for large sibling groups. Can a person with a full- or even part-time job take in a sibling group of four? Where will everyone sleep? How are parents going to meet every individual's needs? How will they get kids to all the different medical or therapeutic appointments they have across the county? The department will license foster parents, but Together California will also give them a lot of additional training, including how to handle kids dealing with high levels of trauma. Across the country and in Los Angeles there has been a large reduction in the number of kids being removed from their homes and placed in foster care, with greater efforts being put toward family preservation and reunification. The kids who are coming in now are often the victims of a lifetime of abuse and neglect. Many are born with drugs or alcohol in their system. Scores have spent years with parents suffering from addiction or serious mental illness. Plenty have witnessed years of domestic violence. Some have experienced sexual abuse at the hands of their mother's boyfriends or other nonrelative males living in the home. Advertisement Tim McCormick, Together California's executive director, tells The Post kids in foster care today have 'behavioral issues that are more complex' — the ones who do not 'would go to kinship placements.' So Palmdale's children will need a more intensive level of care. He notes recruiting foster parents to work there is 'like getting people to work in an emergency room.' 4 Bale partnered with nonprofit veteran Tim McCormick (left) on the foster-care initiative. Getty Images McCormick, who'd successfully launched three similar communities in Illinois when Bale approached him about replicating the model in California, says newer foster parents will have to shadow veteran parents to learn more about what the position is really like. Foster parents must make a three-year commitment, which McCormick likens to the Peace Corps. He's looking for people who have a 'missionary spirit.' 'My criteria,' he says, 'is if I wouldn't put my own kids in that home I won't have them as foster parents.' Together California is a nonsectarian organization, but it would hardly be surprising if a number of foster families end up being religious themselves. Some of the field's hardest and most effective work is being done by religious folks who not only feel called to the mission of foster care but have a lot of support from their faith communities to do it. (About half of foster parents quit within their first year on the job.) Peppers Ranch opened outside Oklahoma City a few years ago. The community started as a group home for boys, but then its leadership started to notice the sisters of those boys had no place to go. Though it has no religious affiliation, the residents I spoke with on a visit all cited their faith as guiding them into this work. All had been foster parents before coming to the ranch, and many had seen the terrible effects of splitting up siblings. Advertisement As one mother told me, it's difficult for younger kids because they want to have at least one of the older people they look up to present in their lives. But people don't often realize the impact on older kids too. 'When it's an older child taking care of a younger child and then they are split,' she says, 'the older child was the caretaker and then they have no purpose.' The DCFS spokeswoman notes, 'When they are separated, each child may feel very isolated and alone. The shared experience of siblings living in a family home — where they play together, confide in one another and participate in family activities — creates lasting memories and tight bonds.' She adds that 'separation of siblings is not ideal because children may experience more trauma when they are without their sisters and brothers.' Having a dozen homes with people all caring for foster kids can seem a little artificial, but the parents say it can be an enormous help. 'You have [challenging] behaviors for a child, and you think that something is wrong with me as a parent,' one parent told me. 'You just feel judged, even in a church community.' But here, the other foster parents understand. They mentor each other. 4 McCormick helmed SOS Children's Villages Illinois for 18 years, setting up centers such as this one in Lockport. One Family Illinois Advertisement Together California will also have two apartments that youth transitioning out of foster care and trying to start their adult lives can occupy. None of this comes cheap. 'We have set our campaign with a $30 million goal, with just over $25 million committed,' says McCormick. The funds will be used for everything from construction to furniture for the families. But they could always use more support. McCormick says Bale has been very hands on in addition to financially backing the project, offering opinions on even the floor design. He's attended multiple county DCFS meetings — 'people didn't realize who it was,' says McCormick. Advertisement The two men — McCormick says they've become very good friends over the years they've been working together — both seem very invested in the day-to-day work. But they're also deeply idealistic. McCormick says that 'when kids first come into care, the light is kind of diminished in their eyes. Our job is to rekindle that light.' 'When I'm closing my eyes for the last time,' Bale tells CBS News, 'I want to think about 'Did I do some good? Did I make any changes in the world that were useful?' And this will be one of the things that I'll be most proud of when I draw my last breath.'
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Christian Bale and His Kids Make Rare Public Appearance
Originally appeared on E! Online The dark knight rises, and so does Christian Bale for his family. The Oscar winner made a rare outing with wife Sibi Blazic to catch their 20-year-old daughter Luka Bale walk in Dolce & Gabbana's Alta Moda fashion show in Rome July 14. Dressed in an all-black suit, Bale arrived to the event holding hands with Blazic, who he married in 2000. Meanwhile, their 11-year-old son Rex Bale—also dressed in a dark suit with a matching shirt—followed closely behind. The family of four went on to snap a group photo—published by Just Jared—with designer Domenico Dolce, who was also seen clad in black with his signature wide-rimmed glasses. And it's not often that Bale is out at a public event with his children. After all, the 51-year-old is notoriously private about his brood—with many fans mistakenly believing that his son was named Joseph for years. Instead, the tween was credited as "Rex Bale" for his cameo in his dad's 2022 Marvel movie Thor: Love and Thunder. Likewise, the public only found out about Luka's name when she was credited as such in Bale's 2016 racing film Ford v Ferrari. She also made a brief appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder, before making her modeling debut with Dolce & Gabbana in 2021. "She's a little rascal," Bale said of his daughter in a 2012 interview with British GQ. "I'm not going to miss her growing up for anything, not even for Batman." The Dark Knight alum added, "I'm certainly not going to be one of those fathers who picks up a photo of his daughter and has regrets about not being around." For more celebs with their mini-me kids, keep reading... More from E! Online Dan Rivera, Paranormal Investigator, Dies Suddenly During Tour With 'Possessed' Annabelle Doll Kylie Jenner Shares a Glimpse of Daughter Stormi's Massive Labubu Collection RHONJ's Dolores Catania Shares Important Warning About Injectable Weight Loss Drugs "His name isn't Joseph," Bale's rep confirmed to Entertainment Tonight in May 2024. "That was made up by the internet." Instead, the tween was credited as "Rex Bale" for his cameo in his dad's 2022 Marvel movie Thor: Love and Thunder. Likewise, the public only found out about Luka's name when she was credited as such in Bale's 2016 racing film Ford v Ferrari. She also made a brief appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder, before making her modeling debut with Dolce & Gabbana in 2021. "She's a little rascal," Bale said of his daughter in a 2012 interview with British GQ. "I'm not going to miss her growing up for anything, not even for Batman." The Dark Knight alum added, "I'm certainly not going to be one of those fathers who picks up a photo of his daughter and has regrets about not being around." For more celebs with their mini-me kids, keep reading... Jodie Sweetin & Zoie Herpin Sienna Miller & Marlowe SturridgeKim Zolciak & Brielle Bierman Christie Brinkley & Sailor Brinkley-CookKate Moss & Lila Moss Lisa Bonet & Zoë KravitzDavid Beckham & Brooklyn Beckham Uma Thurman & Maya Hawke Julianne Moore & Liv FreundlichRobin Wright & Dylan Penn For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Christian Bale poses with BOTH his kids in rare family photo with wife Sibi
Christian Bale and his wife Sandra 'Sibi' Blažić have protectively shielded their two children from the spotlight, since the birth of their daughter back in 2005. Although the Hollywood couple are rarely seen out together, apart from the occasional red carpet, the actor, 51, and spouse, 55, made a rare exception while attending the Dolce & Gabbana's Alta Moda couture show and dinner on Monday. While dressed in coordinating all-black ensembles, Bale, Blažić and their children Emmeline 'Luka', 20, and Joseph, 10, smiled for a photo with designer Domenico Dolce. The group were pictured at the Fori Imperiali, Via Sacra site in Rome, Italy. For the occasion, Luka, who walked the Alta Moda runway back in 2021, wore a black, sleeveless slip dress and her blonde locks in a sleek bun. Her mom rocked a similar ensemble with lace sleeves and a long cross necklace. Bale, who shaved his head for his role in The Bride earlier this year, looked handsome in a black tailored suit. While arriving to the fashion show earlier in the day, the Batman held onto his wife's hand as their youngest walked by their side. The lovebirds famously met through actress Winona Ryder while she and Bale were working on Little Women in 1994 and Sibi was Winona's assistant at the time. The two hit it if off, eloped to Las Vegas in 2000. Sibi has received two SAG Award nominations for performing on the stunt teams of the two-time Golden Globe winner's films Ford v Ferrari (2019) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Their daughter portrayed Infinity Conez Vendor in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) and Le Mans Flower Girl in Ford v Ferrari (2019) thanks to the connections of her darling daddy. Last year, reports surfaced that Bale was working on building a village to house siblings being fostered so they don't get separated by the system. Bale, 50, has been working on his California village since the birth of his daughter in 2005 when he was 'stunned and mad' to discover how many children were in care in the state. The actor, who had is big break at age 12 in Empire of the Sun, plans to build 12 houses and two studio apartments and a 7,000-square-foot community center. Bale intends for the two studio apartments to help foster children transition into independent living as they age into adulthood. Famous for his roles in American Psycho and Christopher Nolan's Batman series, Bale plans to complete the construction of his community by 2025. The project has an estimated cost of $22 million and is situated next to a park in Palmdale, around 60 miles away from Los Angeles. Bale is the co-founder of an organization called Together California, which is coordinating the development. The organization's project is being developed under the leadership of executive director Tim McCormick and Bale's co-founder, UCLA's Dr. Eric Esrailian. He called the village, which is the first of its kind in the state, 'something absolutely new, totally transformative and something completely needed.' At an event in Antelope Valley yesterday, Bale stood with his wife, Sibi, and a group of elected officials and tight-knit supporters to break ground on the plan. He presented the blueprint of the project, which has a single aim - to keep siblings in the foster system together under one roof. 'Imagine the absolute pain and the trauma of losing your parents or being torn from your parents, and then losing your brothers and sisters on top of that, that's no way to treat kids,' Bale said at the event. 'And so, we will be the hub for that. I hope that this village will be the first of many, and I hope that people, Californians and Angelenos, know to come join us in opening our eyes to what's happening right under our noses. 'These are our children, and we must help our children.' The Oscar winner was technically born in Haverfordwest, Wales, but he became a naturalized US citizen in 2014, and he's lived in LA as far back as 1992. Christian first found fame at age 13 starring as British upper middle class schoolboy James 'Jim' Graham who's locked up in a Chinese internment camp in Steven Spielberg's 1987 war film, Empire of the Sun.
Screen Geek
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Screen Geek
Peter Sarsgaard Says 'The Bride' Is "Controversial"
We've seen some interesting cinematic reinterpretations of classic monsters in the last few years, and that includes the upcoming movie The Bride from director Maggie Gyllenhaal. The upcoming monster movie is an adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein with influences from the 1935 movie Bride of Frankenstein , and according to star Peter Sarsgaard, the film will be 'controversial.' Sarsgaard, who is married to Gyllenhaal, stars in the movie alongside the likes of Jessie Buckley as Frankenstein's bride and Christian Bale as Frankenstein's monster. While speaking with Deadline, he dropped some interesting details about the film, which will be a crime story set in the 1930s. Here's how he opened his statement about The Bride being controversial: 'I'm going to say that it's going to be controversial,' Sarsgaard plainly begins. 'I mean, it's very punk. It's very radical in some ways, and the main characters in it are very imperfect. It's also a love story, basically. It's about the monster in all of us.' There have been rumors regarding the project in the past, including reports that it could be a musical, which Sarsgaard denied. However, he did admit that there was some dancing involved in the film, and he had this to say on that front: 'I will certainly dance if given the opportunity,' he laughs. 'I'm known as the first one on and the last one off the dance floor. I shake it until my moneymaker's wet.' In addition to Buckley, Bale, and Sarsgaard, The Bride also stars Penélope Cruz, Annette Bening, Julianne Hough, John Magaro, Jeannie Berlin, Jake Gyllenhaal, Linda Emond, Louis Cancelmi, and Matthew Maher. In addition to directing the film, Gyllenhaal also wrote the screenplay, which was produced for a budget of $80 million at Warner Bros. It'll certainly be interesting to see how the picture pans out, especially if it's as 'controversial' as Sarsgaard suggests. Of course, he most likely means that as a compliment, which adds another interesting layer to what Gyllenhaal must be cooking with this new take on Frankenstein . The Bride is currently scheduled to hit theaters early next year on March 6, 2026. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the film as we have them.
