“The Dark Knight Rises” Lead Star Christian Bale on Colorado Shooting: “Words cannot express the horror that I feel.”

"The Dark Knight Rises" Lead Star Christian Bale on Colorado Shooting: “Words cannot express the horror that I feel.”

As the cast of "The Dark Knight Rises" learned of the shooting in Aurora, Colorado, that left 12 moviegoers dead and more than fifty people wounded on Friday during a premier screening of their film, his reaction was said to have been that of shock.

The film's leading star, Christian Bale, who portrays Batman, issued a statement on Saturday: "Words cannot express the horror that I feel. I cannot begin to truly understand the pain and grief of the victims and their loved ones, but my heart goes out to them."

A reliable source told People how the stars of "TDKR" dealt with news of the deadly shooting: "The cast was completely shocked and several – Anne [Hathaway] and Marion [Cotillard], a couple of the men – were in tears... There was enormous, enormous sadness."

Bale and "TDKR" cast mates Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were seen boarding a private Warner Bros. plane on Saturday in Paris, presumed to be en route to Los Angeles.

Christopher Nolan, the director of "The Dark Knight Rises," issued a statement on Friday on behalf of the film's cast and crew: “I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community. I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting, but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families.”

On Friday, Nolan and much of the "TDKR" cast were in Paris to do press and participate in a premiere event. The premiere, along with their scheduled press conference and interviews, were cancelled once they received news on the tragic shooting in Aurora that left 12 dead, including a 6-year-old girl, the youngest of the victims.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Monday July 23 2012, 4:17 PM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0