Director Defends Bale After On-Set Blowup

According to a report on the website of People Magazine, director for the upcoming film, "Terminator Salvation," has come to the defense of actor Christian Bale, who had an outburst on set which quickly went viral.

"The film set is a passionate place, and it happens," McG told fans at a Warner Bros. preview panel at New York Comic Con on Saturday. "There was no version of, 'Oh, Christian is going to whip his ass.' It was just sort of a blowup. We let it run its course, and it did. You obviously only get to hear the explicit parts."

Bale's expletive-laden tirade began when the director of photography, Shane Hurlbut, accidentally entered the actor's line of sight during the filming of a scene.

The audiotape briskly made its way around the web, sparking mixed reactions, but McG insists that the on-set drama started and ended there.

"Christian has taken responsibility for the way he acted. It's a matter of fact that he and Shane are buddies. We finished the movie together. We did some additional photography about a month ago," he told the packed auditorium at Manhattan's Jacob Javits Center. "It was just one of those moments. I think I can speak on all of our behalf that we've all gotten a little fired up. And if anybody would take that moment and take it out of context, it would seem very, very strange."

The director finds it humorous, admitting he has seen some of the online response to Bale's antics. "That remix is pretty hot," McG said to a large applause.