Christian Bale in American Psycho

Although Christian Bale ultimately did end up playing the lead killer in Mary Harron's American Psycho (2000), his journey wasn't a smooth one. Initially, he was offered the role of Patrick Bateman and accepted. However, the distributor wanted a bigger name, so Christian was let go and Leonardo DiCaprio was eyed. Leo was cautioned against the part, though, as his Titanic fanbase would have struggled to reconcile his pretty boy, sweetheart image with that of Patrick's. As an alternative, Ewan McGregor popped up on the radar and became target No. 1. But the ever-persistent Christian told GQ UK that he phoned people and expressed ownership over Patrick. He said, "I called... and told them it was my role. 'Don't touch. Step away. Or if you're not going to step away, understand what you're up against.'" He got his way, was rehired, and American Psycho essentially launched his career. Perseverance at its finest!