Few cinema performances can compare to the iconic one of Heath Ledger’s Joker in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Night”. Ledger would sadly miss the accolades and fame that his role brought him where he went on to win several posthumous awards including an Oscar. But even as many of us have thrilled at the movie, little do we know about the interesting facts surrounding Ledger’s involvement in the role. Here are 15 incredible facts about Heath Ledger’s Joker.
In order to get into the role of the psychotic villain, Ledger isolated himself in his hotel room for six weeks. He was determined not to make his portrayal of the Joker the same as Jack Nicholson and spent most of the time perfecting the sinister laugh and voice.
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In the Dark Knight the Joker sends two videos to the Gotham City News to instigate mayhem including one that depicted the Joker torturing a fake Batman. These videos were directed by Ledger himself which impressed director Christopher Nolan who gave a free creative run to the late actor.
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Actors Michael Caine and Maggie Gyllenhaal had never seen Ledger in costume and full makeup. When the Joker crashes the Wayne Party, He was so overwhelming that Gyllenhaal couldn’t even look at him and Caine even forgot his lines.
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The iconic scene where the jokingly mocks commissioner Gordon by clapping was not part of the script. Ledger improvised the sarcastic applause and Nolan decided to continue filming.
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The highly visible tick where Ledger’s Joker keeps licking his lips was an action improvised by Ledger. He kept licking his lips to keep his mouth moist which he said helped him to speak in the Joker’s voice and keep the performance consistent.
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Heath Ledger was reported to always be in a dark frame of mind on set to stay in character. But what impressed everyone was the fact that he could just turn off the mood and turn it on when he wished.
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Ledger insisted on that every scene should be life like so when the Batman interrogates the Joker, Bale revealed that Ledger told him to beat him as hard as he could for the scene to seem authentic.
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The main reason why Ledger would easily slip into the mindset of the sadistic character was the fact that he carried around a diary which was like a Joker scrapbook. It consisted of horror news stories, disturbing psychotic drawings and emotional triggers that would help him get in the mood of the psychotic character. When the shooting ended, Ledger wrote on the last page of the diary the words “BYE BYE’.
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Even when there was no shooting, Ledger would turn up on off days and walk around set in full costume. Makeup artist John Caglione remembered how Ledger would allow the crew to interact with him as the Joker but it was all in good humor. He would never lose his cool and was always kind to everyone.
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Paul Bettany, Lachy Hulme, Adrien Brody, Steve Carell, and Robin Williams were all interested in playing the role of the Joker. However, director Christopher Nolan admitted that Heat ledger was always his first choice.
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Among facts about Heath Ledger’s Joker, Eckhart revealed that during the hospital bed scene, ledger walked around mumbling to himself before shooting. He did it in a weird manner and it went on for some time till he approached Eckhart who spontaneously raised his hand. It was then that ledger grabbed it fiercely. After the scene. Ledger told Eckhart “That’s what acting’s all about.”
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Heath ledger interviewed Nicholson for his take on the role of the Joker. This is what Nicholson told him. “The role of being The Joker will haunt you, the role is so dark, that you probably won’t be able to sleep, but enjoy the role as the Clown Prince of Crime, because it’s nothing but good fun.”
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Several film critics criticized the choice of ledger for the role of the Joker saying he was too inexperienced and young for such a job. Ledger silenced everyone with the film’s release and he ended up delivering the most iconic portrayals of the character to grace the screen.
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This is one significant fact about Heath Ledger’s Joker. Comic book adaptations are rarely recognized for Oscar nominations. The Dark Knight was one of the first comic book films to be nominated for an Oscar which Ledger won posthumously.
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While winning the Oscar on the first anniversary of his death, Ledger went on to win 32 best actor awards in a supporting role posthumously. The only awards he did not win were the Satellite award and the London Film Critics’ Circle Award for Actor of the Year. Gary Oldman accepted the SAG award on Ledgers behalf.
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