Bale suffered herniated disc for 'American Hustle' role

Actor Christian Bale suffered a herniated disc after gaining 43 pounds for his role in "American Hustle".

The 40-year-old gained weight to portray overweight conman Irving Rosenfeld in the film, but admits his "age has become an obstacle when it comes to gaining and losing weight for roles", reports contactmusic.com.

For "American Hustle", the actor injured his back by perfecting his character's hunched posture. He has bagged an Oscar nomination for his role in the film

Director David O. Russell tells USA Today, "At one point I said enough already. He lost three inches of height, and even got a herniated disc. He's a quiet, sweet, smart person with endless passion..."