Do you have a solution for the moral dilemma of dealing with crime and corruption?

BALE: Well, it's the circumstances. As we see in The Dark Knight, if there's the possibility of having the system work and of having somebody like Harvey Dent be an elected official who can actually solve the problems that Batman's trying to do himself, then obviously Batman is obsolete at that point. So he believes in the system. It's just that the system in Gotham is broken.

Do you live in the system?

BALE: Well, look, everyone would want to live in a system that works but when it doesn't, I think everyone would like to think that they were able to affect some kind of a change themselves, and answer problems for themselves instead of being completely useless. Whether that's the correct thing to do in the long term or not, I'm not sure. But certainly when it comes to protecting things that you love, then it's black and white. You don't really care too much about the long term consequences. You're going to do what is right for the people around you in that instant, which is of course always the conflict between what is right for the individual and is that right for society in general. It's what's so great about being human. We're not ants. We do have individual streaks and we will do what is right for ourselves and not just tow the line.

What attracted you to another big franchise like Terminator?

BALE: Well, initially, actually, that was not an attraction. I felt that I wasn't sure where it could go to. I went back, I reviewed before I gave an answer. I went back and reviewed the other movies. I felt like okay, unlike Batman Begins, this would be something where we would be respecting the previous mythology. Certainly of one and two, not so much number three, but certainly you would be recognizing that mythology, unlike Batman Begins where we were saying that this is the beginning right here. But what I view in it and what has ultimately made me make the choice to make it is that I see the same potential for reinvention and for breathing new life into the mythology. That's what I view our responsibility as filmmakers to be. It's pointless if we don't succeed in doing that.

Can you talk about working with Heath, both the actor and the man? He really turns in a performance that's for the ages.

BALE: Absolutely.

And how did that affect you?

BALE: Well, look, first of all it's wonderful that people are recognizing that. I love the fact that - regardless of whether it ever comes to fruition or not - the fact that Chris has created in this movie even the possibility that people are talking about accolades for an actor in a superhero action-genre movie. Usually that is never even considered. So kudos to Chris for doing that, and to Heath for coming forward with that devastating performance. He has raised the bar, completely, with it. He was absolutely committed. I enjoyed working with him immensely. Clearly it is tragic that we are talking about this as his last complete performance. I would love it if he were to be walking in the room right now - he would be talking, he's great company. I looked forward to working with him many times in the future. I looked forward to being his friend for many years to come. But this movie can be a celebration of his talent, and thank you for saying that because he truly deserves that. He was a fierce talent and I was very fortunate to get to witness that talent and work with it and know the man during his lifetime.

With 80 years of Batman interpretations...

BALE: Not quite, 1939.

How do you find any wiggle room within that?

BALE: Well, what do we have to look at? Adam West. Hey, listen, he did it brilliantly. It was a spoof. It's a spoof of what I believe Bob Kane's original intention was. Then we have the other movies, which we were in between, but still very, very theatrical. These were, with all due respect to them, and Tim Burton is a wonderful filmmaker, but ultimately these were men walking around dressed up like a bat. These were not people who became a different creature when they donned that and I'd never seen that done before. I was misunderstood a number of times after Batman Begins when I'd mentioned about the possibility of making an R-rated Batman. A number of people came to me and said, "Well, you wanna put sex scenes into Batman?" I said, "No, no, no, that's not at all what I was talking about." What I was meaning is if you look at the more recent graphic novels, there is such a darkness to it and such an internal human conflict, and such questioning of the shadow side and the good motivation, and good versus evil, and the violence and his capability and propensity for violence that it could very easily become an R-rated movie. I feel like the reinvention here, I'm not sure what anyone would do in the future with Batman movies, but they'll work it out. But this version has certainly never been seen before, not in a movie.

What sides of the character are left for you to want to play?

BALE: I do definitely. Again, that's Chris Nolan's decision. I finished this movie and I want to see what is going to happen next. He is the ultimate hero and he deserves all the credit and he's getting absolutely none whatsoever. But hey, that's Chris Nolan's decision.

Did you shoot an action scene in Hong Kong, or just the questioning?

BALE: We did the scene with Morgan Freeman but I also went up - is it the IFC tower? So I did the highest tower in Chicago, then we went and did the highest tower in Hong Kong and stood there. That was all for real. I was an old hand at it by the time I got to Hong Kong. I was just strolling around. Yes, we did do those scenes, a few scenes there.

Did you have time to explore?

BALE: We had time to get lost but I tend to find, myself and my wife, we go get lost in cities and I think that's the best way to discover them.

You like it?

BALE: It's a very interesting city. There's so many different layers to that city. I wasn't there for that long but yeah - it wasn't what I'd expected.

How are things on the Terminator set?

BALE: Good, good, they're a number of weeks in. I'm just a week and a half in.

Did you try some Chinese food in Hong Kong?

BALE: Absolutely I did, yeah. But I had done that back in 1987 in Shanghai and discovered at the age of 13 that the Chinese food in China is very different from the Chinese food in London, you know. As I was trying to attack a full-headed fish with a chopstick.

Any fun mishaps or bloopers for the DVD?

BALE: I don't think it's an appropriate movie for that. I'm not sure if there will be and I'm also I think that kind of thing is really appropriate for comedies and stuff. But I'm actually the anti-extra-information-on-DVDs. Look, it's just become normal and I'm seen as being a real old-fashioned kind of grump when I express my attitudes towards it, but I think that movies, like magic, should maintain a mystery. I think that if you want to find out how things are done, I think you should really have to work at that and to search it out. I don't like the way things are offered up so easily with all the EPKs and the behind the scenes footage and how things were shot. I don't like that kind of stuff.