Christian Bale Thanks Satan for Inspiring Him in Role as Dick Cheney

In accepting the Golden Globes best actor award for his portrayal of former Vice President Dick Cheney, actor Christian Bale had an unexpected thank you to make.

"Thank you to Satan for giving me inspiration for playing this role," he said about his portrayal of Cheney in the political satire Vice.

The Church of Satan was delighted by Bale's salute.

"To us, Satan is a symbol of pride, liberty and individualism, and it serves as an external metaphorical projection of our highest personal potential. As Mr. Bale's own talent and skill won him the award, this is fitting. Hail Christian! Hail Satan!" it tweeted.

Bale also thanked Oscar-winning screenwriter Adam McKay, who also directed Vice, for casting him as Cheney, a divisive figure who was denounced for his role as an architect of the 2003 Iraq war and for helping to introduce methods of interrogation for terrorism suspects that were considered torture.

Bale said that McKay had sought someone "charisma-free" for the role.

"He said, 'I have to find somebody that can be absolutely charisma-free and reviled by everybody, so we wanted Christian Bale.'"

Bale told the audience that he was "cornering the market on charisma-free assholes."

He joked that he would next like to play Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, to applause from the audience.

Cheney's daughter, Republican Representative Liz Cheney, hit back at Bale in a tweet, linking to a news report about the star's arrest for allegedly assaulting his mother and sister in 2008.

"Satan probably inspired him to do this, too," she wrote.

The alleged attack took place in a London hotel room in 2008, and Bale denied the allegations. British prosecutors dropped charges against Bale, citing "insufficient evidence."

Bale has already earned critical plaudits for his portrayal of Cheney, for which he gained 40 pounds, shaved his head and had his eyebrows bleached and plucked daily.