'Vice' movie about former Vice President Dick Cheney hits theaters Christmas Day

"Vice," a movie about former Vice President Dick Cheney, will open on Christmas Day.

Actor Christian Bale transformed into Cheney, who served under President George W. Bush, by gaining 40 pounds for the role.

Writer/director Adam McKay came up with the idea to cast Bale as Cheney, but it was an idea even Bale thought was pretty out there

"I said to him, 'You're absolutely nuts. That's not possible,'" Bale said.

But Bale went for it. He not only transformed his look, but also his voice, which came from "incessant listening to Dick Cheney again and again and again," Bale said.

"You know, I didn't think he would get that close," McKay said.

Co-star Amy Adams, who plays Lynne Cheney, also transformed to play the woman who inspired Cheney to reach his full potential. Adams said she liked playing a strong woman.

"Whether I agree with everything that she speaks out for or against, I can appreciate that she speaks out," Adams said.

Cheney doesn't come off as a hero in the film. He's portrayed at times as power hungry and coldly calculated. Many will take issue with the spin, something director McKay said he's ready for.

"Research-wise, fact-wise, this movie is, can stand up to all that?" McKay said. "Yeah, there's nothing, I mean, we invaded Iraq, we had questionable intelligence, they reinterpreted torture, everything in it is what happened."