How old was Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun?

It's common to wonder how old a celebrity was when they starred in a particular film. That knowledge can reshape how we view their performance. We’ve tracked down that detail for you.

During the filming of Empire of the Sun, Christian Bale was:

12 years old

Based on our estimate, that was the actual age of the celebrity at the time.

The age shown reflects the celebrity’s age as of the start of the release year of Empire of the Sun:

January 1, 1987

And the date of birth of Christian Bale, which is:

January 30, 1974

Because movies often premiere within a year of starting production, Christian Bale might have been either one year younger or older while filming some scenes.