When you think of Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale working together, you might guess that McConaughey, the relaxed guy from Texas known for funny love movies, would be the calm one. And Bale, famous for playing serious, intense characters like Batman, might be the one to get wild on set. But during the making of a dragon movie called Reign of Fire in 2002, it was the opposite!
McConaughey told a story in 2012 about a fight scene where he accidentally headbutted Bale. He said, “I didn’t mean to, but I hit him right on the forehead.” Bale later shared, “It knocked me down like a bag of potatoes! I was crawling on the ground for real, trying to get back up. The film crew was watching to see if I was okay. After we finished, I asked Matthew if he was fine, and he laughed and said, ‘Yeah, you crazy guy—I headbutted you!’”
McConaughey was amazed at how tough Bale was. He said, “His forehead swelled up like a tennis ball, but he kept going with the scene. I knew I messed up, but he just growled and we finished. Later, he was mad at me, and he had every right to be. But he didn’t make a big fuss about it, even though he wasn’t happy.”
Even with Bale’s bravery and McConaughey’s big energy, Reign of Fire didn’t become a hit. The movie is set in a future where digging a tunnel in London wakes up dragons that take over the world. Bale plays a survivor named Quinn, and McConaughey plays a tough guy named Denton who helps fight the dragons. It’s a wild, fun movie with dragons breathing fire, but the special effects look old now, and it’s not very famous today.
Back then, Bale had already done American Psycho, and McConaughey was about to start making romantic comedies. Reign of Fire was a strange choice for both, but Bale liked it because it could have gone wrong. He said, “I like movies that might fail. Some people told me I was crazy to do it, but that’s what I enjoy.”
Even though Reign of Fire wasn’t a big success, Bale is really good at picking great movies most of the time. He’s made lots of popular and well-loved films, unlike this dragon adventure that didn’t quite work out.
