Proving that it is possible for a straight white male celebrity to comment on the wave of sexual misconduct allegations currently engulfing Hollywood without turning it into a “but what about me?” moment, Christian Bale was asked the question basically every actor is being asked in the aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein allegations while out promoting his new movie Hostiles on AOL Build on Monday. Here’s how he responded:
Our culture will be so much richer the day that we stop saying, ‘Hey, it’s all white dudes who are running things.’ Whether that be Hollywood, whether that be Washington, you know … We’re going to get, in Hollywood, so much better films and so much more interesting stories being told [when that happens] and America will become the America that the rest of the world sees it as, that makes it unique.
According to Vulture, Bale went on to discuss his love of America, calling it “such a beautiful, brilliant country” and expressing his joy that his kids grew up in the U.S. and have American accents. So, truly, this is a statement for everyone, and a mellow one for the guy whose screaming rant on the set of Terminator: Salvation inspired mashups, remixes, and general memery back in the halcyon days of 2009.
And don’t worry, white dudes—in the United States Of Christian Bale (A Division of America, Which He Loves), you can still run stuff. Just not everything.