Asst. director defends Bale's behavior

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The assistant director of "Terminator: Salvation" is defending Christian Bale in the wake of the Welsh-born actor's outburst at a crew member.

A recording of Bale screaming and swearing at the film's director of photography last summer hit the Internet Monday. The incident reportedly happened shortly after Bale was arrested for an alleged altercation with his mother and sister. Police later cleared him of any wrongdoing.

ABCNews.com said representatives for Bale, "Salvation's" director McG or Shane Hurlbut, the director of photography and object of the actor's 4-minute tirade, declined to comment on the actor's film-set rant.

However, assistant director Bruce Franklin told E! News Bale is a "consummate professional" who became upset when Hurlbut interrupted an emotional scene.

"(Bale) didn't walk around like that all day long. It was just a moment and it passed," Franklin told E! "I think someone is begging to make some noise about this, but I don't think it's fair. The art of acting is not paint by numbers, it's an art form."

Therapist and anger expert Richard Driscoll said Bale's commitment to his work might suggest why his outburst was so dramatic.

"Once he started he could very well have gotten into the artistry and the craft of what he was doing," Driscoll told ABCNews.com. "He's not doing a wussy complaint. He's doing a full-fledged exemplary headline-news tantrum. He's reaming this fella out at great length and with extreme passion."