American Psycho is one of those films that you just don’t forget. Partly because it is an iconic psychological thriller and partly because it is still relevant and referenced in pop culture today. 

Plus, who can listen to Hip To Be Square without thinking of main character Patrick Bateman’s unnerving monologue, delivered while he’s holding an axe? Nobody who has seen the film, I can guarantee.

 With the thrills and chills featured in this film, you would likely expect it to be inspired by 80′s slashers or at the very least, the yuppie uprising in the mid-90′s but, uh, it’s fair weirder than that.

The inspiration behind American Psycho

Yes, instead of studying horror characters of times gone-by or even some of Stanley Kubrick’s most intimidating characters, Christian Bale actually found inspiration in fellow movie star Tom Cruise.

Not Tom’s acting, though.

In an interview back in 2009, American Psycho director Mary Harron revealed that, one day, Bale had phoned her with the news that he had found inspiration for American Psycho.

He had watched a recent Late Night With David Letterman interview with Tom and saw the qualities he hoped to portray in his character Patrick Bateman.

Harron described Tom as having “very intense friendliness with nothing behind the eyes”, which Christian was really taken aback by, as well as the action star’s manic energy.

Christian thought it would naturally fit into the unnatural business world of American Psycho which, it’s fair to say, it definitely did.

I doubt Christian or director Mary Harron are on Tom Cruise’s Christmas card list, though.

According to FandomWire, this was the interview in question: