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American Psycho's director and scriptwriter, Mary Harron, recently discussed in an interview how Tom Cruise influenced the character of Patrick Bateman.
In an interview with Letterboxd, published on April 14, Mary Harron stated that actor Christian Bale, who played Patrick Bateman, told her that when he met Tom Cruise, he felt like the actor showed a friendly demeanor; however, his gaze was seemingly empty. This statement led to Harron incorporating Tom Cruise's characteristics with Patrick Bateman.
"[Bale] called me at one point and said, 'I saw Tom Cruise on a talk show last night, and there was something about that friendliness, with almost nothing behind the eyes,'" Mary Harron said.
According to Entertainment Weekly's April 14 report, Bret Easton Ellis, the author of the 1991 novel American Psycho, incorporated Tom Cruise into the plot by making the actor and the main character, Patrick Bateman, share the same apartment building.
Mary Harron stated in her recent interview that while she would have loved having Cruise in the film, she doubted if the actor would've been interested in a "heinous" movie like American Psycho.
"We love the Tom Cruise thing, but we would never have gotten Tom Cruise to be in such a heinous production as American Psycho!" Mary Harron stated.
Mary Harron discusses American Psycho being popular among alpha males and Wall Street bros
In her recent Letterboxd interview, Mary Harron stated that she was caught off guard to see "Wall Street bros" loving the film. She said she never expected it as she thought it was clear enough that Patrick Bateman's character was mocking them.
Harron then said that some people incorrectly interpret things, saying some read the Bible and then end up being influenced into committing murder. According to The Independent's report, in August 2024, a man from Ohio read the Bible and murdered his three sons.
"I’m always so mystified by it. I don’t think that Guinevere and I ever expected it to be embraced by Wall Street bros at all. That was not our intention. So, did we fail? I’m not sure why [it happened], because Christian’s very clearly making fun of them. But, people read the Bible and decide that they should go and kill a lot of people," Mary Harron said.
Harron stated that to her and screenwriter Guinevere Turner, it was clear that the author of the 1991 novel, Bret Easton Ellis, who is gay himself, wanted to satirize "homoerotic rituals" of alpha males by showing Patrick Bateman's elaborate morning routine.
"It was very clear to me and Guinevere, who is gay, that we saw it as a gay man’s satire on masculinity, [Ellis’s] being gay allowed him to see the homoerotic rituals among these alpha males, which is also true in sports, and it’s true in Wall Street, and all these things where men are prizing their extreme competition and their ‘elevating their prowess’ kind of thing," Harron said.
American Psycho was released in theatres on April 14, 2000. According to Deadline's October 18, 2024, report, director Luca Guadagnino will reportedly direct the upcoming reboot of American Psycho.
