Christian Bale called Donald Trump a 'clown,' but said he's 'far less dangerous' than Dick Cheney

Christian Bale compared former US Vice President Dick Cheney to Donald Trump in a recent interview.He was promoting his film "Vice," which has earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Cheney.Compared to Cheney, he said Trump is "sort of a clown," adding: "Clowns can do a lot of damage."However, he said he still believes Trump is "far less dangerous" than Cheney.Oscar-nominated actor Christian Bale is making waves for his portrayal of Dick Cheney in "Vice," and he's been pretty vocal about his thoughts on the controversial former US Vice President.Now, it seems he's speaking openly about his feelings towards current US President Donald Trump, too.According to The Scotsman, 44-year-old Bale told the Press Association that he and "Vice" director Adam McKay did not want to paint Cheney, known for his role in American policy decisions after 9/11, in a bad light, adding: "We‘re not children who think that monsters look like monsters. Monsters don’t look like monsters."Comparing Cheney to Trump, however, he called Trump "bombastic" and "loud," but added: "Cheney was quiet and secretive and far more capable, far more brilliant."In terms of their ability to understand government, there‘s no comparison. Trump doesn’t understand it, Cheney did, that‘s what made him so powerful, these decades within the government."Whereas Trump is sort of a clown by comparison. Clowns can do a lot of damage but fingers crossed in the next two years that doesn’t happen."He added that because of his "enormous ego," Trump is "actually far less dangerous" than Cheney, who was instrumental in the War on Terror.The statement comes after Bale, who was born in Wales but holds a US citizenship, recently recalled meeting Trump while filming "The Dark Knight Rises," saying that he was pretty sure the future president thought he was actually Bruce Wayne.Read more: Christian Bale is pretty sure Donald Trump thought he was actually Bruce Wayne when they met on the set of 'The Dark Knight Rises'Bale underwent quite the transformation to play the role of Cheney, gaining 40 pounds and even spending $3,000 on a neck exercise machine to make him look more like the former Vice President. The effort seems to be paying off, as Bale took home a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy earlier this month.Now, he has been shortlisted for the Best Actor title at Oscars in February, where the film is nominated in eight total categories, including Best Picture.Bale previously won an Oscar in 2010 for "The Fighter."While "Vice" entered the Golden Globes in the "comedy" category, Bale said that while it is "bloody funny in places but in an absurdist, ridiculous manner," it's more like a tragedy."People say comedy is tragedy plus time and that applies so well to this. But also understanding that many of the people that are making decisions that change the nations lives, the global life, the trajectory that the world is on, are often quite ridiculous individuals, very dubious people who you might sit in a room with and think, 'How on Earth did we put faith in this person to actually run the country？'"Read more: Christian Bale spent $3,000 on a neck exercise machine to make him look more like Dick Cheney in 'Vice'