There’s no question that Heath Ledger’s role as the Clown Prince of Crime in “The Dark Knight” has by far been one of the best villain roles ever played; it is doubtful that Christopher Nolan’s movie would still be considered the greatest comic book film of all time without “The Joker”. The late actor, who tragically passed away of accidental intoxication a few months before the movie’s release, has shown an unprecedented level of commitment and devotion to the role. When the photos of the late actor were first released, people were horrified and could hardly wait to watch the movie. His father also admitted that Heath was working too hard on this role.
“He pretty well locked himself up in a hotel for a month or so, to sort of galvanize the upcoming character in his own mind,” Kim Ledger said. “That was typical of Heath on any movie. He would certainly immerse himself in the upcoming character. I think this was just a whole new level.”
During the filming of “Batman: The Dark Knight”, Heath Ledger kept a scrapbook which he called “The Joker Diary”. It was mainly a scrapbook where he kept everything that was related to or could be helpful for the role; he sometimes wrote horrifying stuff in the diary as the Joker himself, like how blind babies and AIDS make him laugh. He also placed pictures of villains from other movies in this Joker Diary, as well as parts of comics of past “Jokers”.
After Batman was filmed, Heath Ledger suffered from serious depression. Some said that he was got too absorbed in the character that he didn’t know how to come back; it may have even played a part in his tragic death. When Jack Nicholson-who previously played The Joker in 1989-was asked to comment about Heath’s tragic death shortly after filming the movie, he said:
“Well, I warned him…”
Ledger told reporters he
“Slept an average of two hours a night” while playing “a psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy…”
“I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.”
Prescription drugs didn’t help, he said.
In the hotel room where he locked himself in before the movie, people used to hear him laugh all by himself and make creepy voices. He was trying to choose the perfect voice and laugh for The Joker, but all those who heard his weird voices said they have been too scared to deal with him at that time.
A recently released German documentary titled “Heath Ledger: Too Young To Die” sheds the light on Ledger’s life and works, mainly his stunning role as The Joker. It interviews his father who mentions how this role has changed his son and how he has gone too far to make this role as perfect as it was.
