During an appearance on 'Good Morning America', Adam McKay admits he managed to avoid serious heart damage after learning about heart attack symptoms when filming with the lead actor.
- Dec 27, 2018
AceShowbiz - Christian Bale's detailed research about heart attack symptoms for new movie "Vice (2018)" literally saved filmmaker Adam McKay's life after he began experiencing early signs of a health emergency.
The biopic stars "The Dark Knight" actor as former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, who has a history of heart problems, and one scene chronicles a medical crisis the veteran politician suffered while in office.
McKay wrote and directed the film, but didn't realise that there were so many different ways for Bale to show the symptoms unfolding onscreen.
"We did our first scene where there was a heart attack, and Christian came up, and being a very good actor, he's like, 'I researched all the different kinds of heart attacks,' and he said, 'Do you want me to do it (pretend to have pain) in the hand, or the arm, or in the chest? The other way that's really common is a queasy stomach...,'" McKay recalled on U.S. breakfast show "Good Morning America".
The interesting piece of information proved vital for the director weeks later, when he began to feel unwell while working out.
"My hands are just a little tingly and I feel queasy, and I was like, 'Bing bing bing!'" Adam said. "I remember this fella (Christian) telling me that (symptom), ran upstairs, took aspirin, like, about four of them, called 911."
He rushed to the hospital, where the 50-year-old learned his quick actions had saved him from any serious heart damage.
"When I saw the doctor, he was like, 'Why did you do that?'" McKay shared. "I was like, 'My lead actor told me...'"
McKay subsequently required surgery, but has since bounced back and is back in good health.
