MONDAY, JULY 15, 2008
THE DARK KNIGHT: HEATH LEDGER
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Even with the first glimpses of Heath Ledger's Joker, there was a buzz of something special happening.
Fans at Wizard World Chicago roared with approval in the summer of 2007 when The Joker appeared onscreen during a panel for The Dark Knight, a rare preview from the always-protective director, Christopher Nolan. The character clearly became the focus of early marketing from Warner Bros., with Ledger's twisted portrayal of Batman's foremost nemesis generating fanboy excitement. "Why So Serious?" became a catchphrase and Joker-centric viral marketing struck a chord.
And then last January, Heath Ledger died.
While Ledger's unexpected passing adds a certain sad weight to the film, his performance continues to celebrated, with many calling him the best villain in the genre's history. Castmate Michael Caine has publicly and loudly decreed it worthy of an Academy Award.
At the recent press junket of The Dark Knight, filmmakers and Ledger's castmates tastefully handled questions about Ledger and his performance.
Here's what they had to say:
Director Christopher Nolan: "Working with Heath was terrific. I needed somebody truly fearless to take on such an iconic role, and he was an extraordinary actor. Heath was very, very bold in his choices, and has been in the past. I saw him in Brokeback Mountain, for example. That's an extremely moving performance that's very, very dangerous for an actor. He plays an introvert. He plays a lonely person who gives nothing to the people around him. He risks doing that to the audience. He risks really closing himself from the audience. Nothing in that performance is done from vanity. And yet it works. It was a very bold choice.
"I would say that he was a very charismatic, very ordinary person. Very warm. Very friendly. Put everybody at ease. Was very considerate to people around him when he was working. Really, a great pleasure. A great professional.
"To those who had the privilege of working with him, it was pretty amazing the disparity between the person he was and the monster he created for us, for the film. And to see on that on a daily basis, to see that being created from a really gentle person, it's a testament to him as an actor. It was very exciting to watch.
"I think he brought an immeasurable amount to the role. What was on the page was a very clear indication in the way in which the Joker's energies would be directed and the way in which he presented himself to the people around him. But in terms of being a live character, that was something that had to come from Heath. He had to figure out a logical basis for the way in which the Joker does everything. And he acquired that uniformally through every single aspect of the Joker, from the way he moves, the way he moves his hands, the way his face moves, what the voice was. He very careful to construct an iconic performance. He knew it would have to be inconic, but never losing sight of the reality of it. The Joker's form of evil is a very human form of evil and I think it's very important you believe in him as a human being.
"Everything he did as the Joker was surprising in some way. I always knew he was going to be able to produce the degree of intensity, to do something really extraordinary, but I really had no idea of how he was going to do that. The performance is very complex and there are very particular elements that make it up. The things he's doing with his voice, from high pitch to low pitch, there's an unpredictability to everything. And that's what you felt on the set every day, the unpredictable nature of the character."
Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman): "His immersion, his commitment to the character makes it incredibly easy to work opposite and up everybody's game.
"I felt a real enjoyment. I was almost chuckling inside, but I didn't want to let it show, when we were doing our first scene, which was in the interrogation room and I saw what he was going to do with it. And I felt that I recognized the satisfaction he seemed to be getting, and the pleasure from the role, to be similar to what I get from the satisfaction of acting, as well. I felt very comfortable working with him.
"The guy was wonderful company. When he took off the Joker stuff, he was Heath again and he wonderful company."
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel Dawes):
I think what Heath does in the movie is extraordinary and unusual and rare and special, even for the most talented and experienced actors. He hit the stride where he's totally free in the movie. I think when that happens, it bleeds out on to everyone around him. So acting with him, even though the scene was scary, and when I watched it, full of tension, I actually had a great time working with him. Anything I threw at him, he would take it and throw all sorts of amazing things at me. It was what you always hope for."
Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent/Two-Face): "I had a great time with Heath. I don't know Heath that well, but I really cherished the time I had to work with him. To be in the makeup trailer with Heath while he was discovering his face and me discovering my face and listening to him, getting into character, whistling and all this kind stuff ... that was fun. I was getting into my character and looking at him and going, 'OK, what am I going to do to my face?' He really created his look.
"That character he loved so much. He really cared about the Joker and worked on the Joker. We hadn't rehearsed our scene in the hospital, so I really didn't know what to expect that day. But I knew Heath was doing some amazing work and I had worked with him a little bit in the movie, but I was excited about it. I didn't have much to do that day in the bed. I just kind of sat there and he did his thing.
"Once he started doing his thing, I was an actor in a scene, but I was a fan. I was looking at him and I was going, 'Wow, dude! That's pretty good! Pretty good stuff!'
"The crew was electrified by Heath -- and that doesn't always happen. Crews are usually pretty blase about the movie-making process, but not with Heath. They wanted to be a part of it, they wanted to see what he was doing.
"After that day was done, Heath and I were very tired, and I just said, 'That's why I'm an actor.' Because to work with guys like Heath ... Heath was the consummate actor."
Producer Emma Thomas: "He was the first of the new roles that we cast on this film. We didn't even have a script yet. It was the very early days. Chris had met with Heath at various points over the past few years on a couple of different things, but it never worked out that they worked together. When Heath heard the Joker was going to be in the film, he had an idea about what he would do with that. And we had some indication he would be interested in that. And he met with Chris and they had a great meeting and were completely on the same page of what the character could be in his hands. So that was that.
"Working with him was just a dream. He was an amazing professional and a really great guy."
Producer Chuck Roven: "We could tell from the dailies -- or just being on the set -- he was really throwing himself into this. One of the reasons we were so interested in working with him is that if you take a look at his body of work, even before The Dark Knight, you could see the different characters he's played. He embraces them. He's fearless about it, I think that's the best way to describe how he throws himself into his performances. We felt that if he was going to do that with this role, it was going to be really staggering to watch."
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