Christian Bale's Nod to Satan in Golden Globes Acceptance Speech Was 'Fitting,' Says Church of Satan: 'Hail Christian! Hail Satan!'

Christian Bale's shoutout to Satan in his Golden Globes acceptance speech on Sunday sparked intrigue from the Church of Satan, leading the organization to issue a response via Twitter.

Bale, 44, was nominated in the Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category for his portrayal of former Vice President Dick Cheney in the Adam McKay-directed feature, Vice. The Welsh actor wound up beating fellow nominees Lin Manuel Miranda for Mary Poppins Returns, Viggo Mortensen for Green Book, Robert Redford for The Old Man & the Gun and John C. Reilly for Stan & Ollie. During his acceptance speech, he gave a little nod toward Satan for helping him to perform as Cheney.

"For all the competition, I will be cornering the market on charisma-free assholes," Bale said during the broadcast. "What do you think, Mitch McConnell next? That could be good."

The Welsh actor then added, "Thank you to Satan for inspiration on how to play this role."

In response to Bale's bold statement, the Church of Satan issued a statement through Twitter on Sunday. The religious organization, which is devoted to recognizing Satanism, ultimately praised The Dark Knight alum.

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

Bale's acknowledgment toward Satan was only a small, yet important, part of his hilarious and unusual speech. He also gave a shoutout to his "beautiful wife," Sibi Blazic, who he claimed she always reminds him how "less is more."

"She knows the dumb crap that can come out of my mouth at times," he began, "I can sink and ruin a perfectly good movie and so-so career in one speech. So thank you for that advice, my love."

Bale wasn't the only one recognized for his work in Vice. The film, in fact, scored six nominations altogether—which was more than any other feature-length picture nominated on Sunday. Vice was recognized for best-supporting actress, best supporting actor, best director, best screenplay and best comedy or musical film in addition to Bale's nod.

To play the part of Cheney, Bale had to undergo a major transformation. He wound up gaining more than 40 pounds for the film. He was also required to wear a prosthetic. This part, in fact, was written by McKay with Bale in mind. However, Bale said he had taken time to determine whether he wanted to play Cheney.

"He didn't tell me that he was thinking about me when he was writing it," he explained to Collider in December. "I first heard about it and assumed I must be the supporting role that he's thinking of. And then I just thought he was stretching things a little bit too much to think that I could play Cheney."