(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Christian Bale would be a detective had he not made it as an actor.

The British-born star chooses his roles carefully and has an extensive filmography, including titles such as The Machinist, American Psycho and The Dark Knight.

His latest offering is the Fighter, which is based on the life of boxer Irish Micky Ward. Christian plays his drug-addict brother Dicky Eklund, who helped him train.

Despite his success, the actor thinks one of his qualities would be better suited to an altogether different career that of a detective. That's what I enjoy - studying people endlessly without having to apologise, Us Magazine reports him as saying.

The 37-year-old - who picked up a best supporting actor gong for his work in The Fighter at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards on Sunday - also joked that he doesnt know what to do each time he takes on a new role. He explained that, because he wasnt formally trained, he finds this task more difficult than most professionals.

I never took any drama classes, so I just make it up every time Im doing it, he laughed. But every single time I go out, Ive got no bloody clue how to start doing this. (C) Cover Media