Christian Bale visited the survivors of Friday’s deadly cinema massacre in Denver, Colorado.
Twelve film fans were killed and 58 injured when suspected gunman James Holmes entered a packed Aurora theatre and allegedly opened fire in the early hours of Friday, just after the start of Bale’s final Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises.
Bale issued a statement in the wake of the tragedy, declaring, “Words cannot express the horror that I feel. I cannot begin to truly understand the pain and grief of the victims and their loved ones, but my heart goes out to them.”
He visited the Medical Center of Aurora to meet those injured in the shooting and their families. Bale personally decided to make the trip, and an assistant for Susan Fleishman, executive vice president for Warner Bros. corporate communications, tells DenverPost.com, “Mr. Bale is there as himself, not representing Warner Brothers.”
The actor posed for photos and chatted with those injured during his two and a half hour visit, and the facility’s interim president Bill Voloch is convinced Bale’s appearance has been a boost for the survivors.
He says, “The patients were really happy to meet Bale. They are obviously big fans of his movies. They wanted to see Batman and were really pleased to see Bale. It was good for the patients. We hope it was therapeutic for them, and all the staff really appreciated him coming.”
One of the patients, Carey Rottman, took to his Facebook.com page to tell his friends of the surprise visit, writing, “Wow!!! Thank you so much for the visit Christian!! What a great guy! Still in shock!”                                                    –WO