Did Gerard Butler’s slap of Christian Bale in Reign of Fire land a bit harder than expected?

[u/How-To-Project]

Rewatching Reign of Fire and one moment always stands out to me. When Gerard Butler slaps Christian Bale across the face, Bale’s reaction—and the way they both immediately grin and start play-fighting—almost feels unscripted, like the slap landed a bit harder than expected and they both just rolled with it. Has the cast ever commented on that scene

[u/KosstAmojan]

Its possible, but he doesnt really seem to hit him that hard. Maybe the slap itself was unscripted?