THE DARK KNIGHT: Remembering Heath Ledger And His Take On 'The Joker' Seven Years Later
It's seven years to the day since Heath Ledger died, but his take on iconic Batman villain The Joker remains as great now as it was when Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight was released in 2008. Here, we remember the actor and the lasting impact his performance has had on our world...
Though it will be the role he's forever remembered for, there was a lot more to Heath Ledger than just The Joker. Of course, had he not died on January 22nd, 2008, it's likely that his role in The Dark Knight would have seen the Australian actor's career taken to another level, resulting in him becoming one of the world's biggest stars. On the other hand, he could have suffered the same fate as many other actors who deliver iconic performances and struggled to find a role away from the Clown Prince of Crime. Sadly, we will never know. Despite the fact that The Dark Knight wasn't the final movie he would appear in on the big screen, it's a huge part of Ledger's legacy, and he would receive a number of awards following its release, including a posthumous Oscar. His Joker has since become an icon, influencing the character's portrayal in a number of mediums.
As The Joker, Heath Ledger was phenomenal. The Brokeback Mountain star transformed himself completely, delivering a take on the villain many still believe will be impossible to top. Despite rumours of some sort of voice cameo, there was no sign of The Joker in The Dark Knight Rises, and while many thought that the villain would be left alone in the upcoming DC Cinematic Universe, he WILL appear in Suicide Squad next year played by Dallas Buyers Club star Jared Leto. It's hard to think of anyone more suitable for following in the footsteps of Ledger, and the actor is brave for doing so. After all, comparisons are inevitable, and topping Ledger may just be impossible.
Heath Ledger also arguably had a massive impact on the superhero genre as a whole too. Back in 2008, a good comic book movie was a rarity, and while Iron Man kicked off a Cinematic Universe, The Dark Knight made it clear that it was time to take these releases seriously. Remember the uproar when Christopher Nolan wasn't nominated for an Oscar and the film itself didn't win? When had that ever happened for a release of this type?!
It's hard to do Ledger's performance justice in words; it simply has to be seen to be appreciated (does it get better than this?). However, here's a good example for you. When the hospital in the background failed to blow up on cue in one of The Dark Knight's most memorable scenes, Ledger- who was completely absorbed in his role as The Joker - improvised the moment below, a big part of why it's so memorable and proof of what made him such an incredible Joker and amazing actor.
"When you get into the edit suite after shooting a movie, you feel a responsibility to an actor who has trusted you, and Heath gave us everything. As we started my cut, I would wonder about each take we chose, each trim we made. I would visualize the screening where we’d have to show him the finished film—sitting three or four rows behind him, watching the movements of his head for clues to what he was thinking about what we’d done with all that he’d given us. Now that screening will never be real. I see him every day in my edit suite. I study his face, his voice. And I miss him terribly." - The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan, paying tribute to Heath Ledger in Newsweek.
R.I.P. Heath Ledger, and thank you.