Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway speak out on Colorado tragedy

By Matt Donnelly

July 22, 2012 12 AM PT

Members from the all-star ensemble of “The Dark Knight Rises” are speaking out on the tragic shooting in Colorado on Friday, including Batman himself.

News of a gunman opening fire at a midnight showing of “Rises” in Aurora, Colo., killing 12 and injuring dozens, rocked the country on Friday morning. Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway and director Christopher Nolan are speaking out.

“Words cannot express the horror that I feel,” said Bale in a statement. “I cannot begin to truly understand the pain and grief of the victims and their loved ones, but my heart goes out to them.”

Hathaway, who plays Selina Kyle and her alter ego Catwoman in the film, is struggling to make sense of the horrors allegedly carried out by 24-year-old James Holmes.

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“My heart aches and breaks for the lives taken and altered by this unfathomably senseless act. I am at a loss for words how to express my sorrow. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families,” she said.

Nolan gave a poignant statement on behalf of his crew and cast, which also includes Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

“Speaking on behalf of the cast and crew of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community,” he said.

“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,” he added.

Moviegoers bought tickets to the epic conclusion despite beefed up security and general anxiety at theaters nationwide.

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Celebs react to Colorado theater shooting: ‘So sad, so mindless.’Follow Matt Donnelly on Twitter and Google+. Follow the Ministry of Gossip on Twitter @LATcelebs.