When it was announced that Heath Ledger would be performing the role of the Joker, there was a lot of noise. Was he going to be any good? What type of style was he going to use? What was the makeup going to look like?
So over the past few months, it’s been good to hear that actors working alongside him – Michael Caine being the most prominent example – are loving his work.
A large article on Ledger has appeared in the New York Times, and has shed some light on the man behind the smile. From the article;
He is here in London filming the latest episode of the “Batman” franchise, “The Dark Knight.” It is a physically and mentally draining role — his Joker is a “psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy” he said cheerfully — and, as often happens when he throws himself into a part, he is not sleeping much.
“Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,” he said. “I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.” One night he took an Ambien, which failed to work. He took a second one and fell into a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing.
The man who sang “Can’t take my eyes off you” to Julia Styles in the teen classic, 10 Things I Hate About You, has also been cast in the film, I’m Not There, as one of six actors portraying the legendary Bob Dylan. But he really puts himself in to his roles as well, as this next extract suggests.
Here too was his Joker diary, which he began compiling four months before filming began. It is filled with images and thoughts helpful to the Joker back story, like a list of things the Joker would find funny. (AIDS is one of them.) Mr. Ledger seemed almost embarrassed that the book had been spotted, as if he had been caught trying to get extra credit in school.
Heath Ledger may not have been everyone’s cup of tea at the beginning of this whole roller coaster ride, but right now, one has to be happy with the amount of commitment being put in to it by Ledger. The Dark Knight is expected to hit cinemas July 18, 2008.