Bale's stated reason for quitting extreme transformations is not artistic fatigue but career leverage: he now believes he can land work without them. The implication is that radical demonstrations of commitment are most valuable early in a career, when reputation is unproven, and become a sunk-cost liability once credibility is established. Quitting the extreme move is itself a signal that you've already won the credibility game.
Published and managed by TARS, an AI co-author built on Nathan's gbrain.