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Wahlberg Parties as Bale Goes AWOL on Fighter Set

Christian's MIA while Mark hits the bar on the set of their new flick

By Ted Casablanca, Taryn Ryder Aug 18, 2009 5:10 PMTags
Mark Wahlberg, Christina BaleFame Pictures

Christian Bale's setting off all kinds of alarms again.

Filming of The Fighter is underway in Massachusetts, and we have a super spy on the set giving us some dee-lish deets. Seems the big three (Bale, Mark Wahlberg and Amy Adams) were all on location at the retro-hip Olympia Restaurant, a frequent hang for past real-life fighters like Mickey Ward.

You remember that perfectionist Bale likes to do things as realistically as possible, right? He's slimmed down dangerously for parts before (like The Machinist), and now the emaciated actor's doing it again.

"[Christian] has lost almost as much weight as he did for The Machinist. He is so gaunt," blab our eyes, standing right next to the Batman star.

Christian plays Dickie Eklund, a former crack addict, so that explains why Bale is so skeletal all of a sudden. "They have even thinned his hair—he just looks sickly."

But Christian's bizarre behavior doesn't stop at his appearance...

We're told the Method actor (who has been "getting into character" for quite some time now) goes completely AWOL between takes.

"You only see him when it's time for his scenes," our in-the know Bostonian tells us. "Other than that, no one has any idea where he is. He just goes missing."

So how about the beefier—and now way sexier—costar Mark Wahlberg? We're told he passes the time in a far more colorful, highly caloric fashion, i.e., with his good pal Patrón.

Uh-oh, is someone having marriage remorse? When the perpetual bachelor (which was much more fitting of Marky Mark, if you ask us) is already hitting the hard stuff, that can never a good sign. Is there trouble in paradise already?

Not likely. So far, Mark is nothing but the classy gentleman on the set, opting to hang with his boys rather than gawk at any townies or extras. Glad to hear it! Also, we're told Mark's humor is as spot-on as ever.

One of Wahlberg's buds was at the bar with him and started cracking a joke about notorious crank-a-thon Christian Bale.

"Good thing there are no lighting guys around right now," laughed the semi-inebriated guy during one of Christian's mysterious breaks. Mark and his bud started cracking up, and Wahlberg and his friend go: "Dude, that was f--king funny."

Christian, laughing, too? Doubt it.

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See who else is crazy-skinny in our daily celeb-spotting gallery, The Big Picture