Understandably, another subject Bale would not address is the recent (and at the time of the interview, ongoing) scandal or mystery surrounding the assault charges filed by his mother and sister in July at the time of the London premiere of "The Dark Knight." An insider has reported — and been quoted worldwide — that Bale didn't lay a finger on anyone, that he "cussed his mother out" after she began criticizing Bale's wife and saying "outrageous things" about Bale and his wife. Nonetheless, the actor was then arrested and questioned by police for five hours, although on Aug. 14 the charges were dropped due to "insufficient evidence."
The surprise over this incident stems largely from Bale's very mature, easygoing and habitually quiet demeanor. The man, who is proud of being an avid reader, is an animal lover (he owns two dogs and three cats, all of them strays that he took in) and a contributor to numerous charities favoring animals, underprivileged children and the environment. He is known to have a strong social conscience, and since childhood has not eaten red meat. He has said that reading the classic children's book "Charlotte's Web" (which features talking animals and was recently remade as a live-action picture featuring the voice of Julia Roberts) made a strong impression on him.