Ledger's Deadly Role as the Joker

Actor's Work in The Dark Knight May Have Played Part in Death

Jun 16, 2008

Ledger was reportedly warned by legendary actor Jack Nicholson about the taxing affect that playing the character would have on him

Nicholson knows all too well about what it's like to get inside the head of a psychopath. After all, he's portrayed more than a handful of them on screen during his illustrious acting career: Jack Torrance in The Shining; Colonel Jessup in A Few Good Men; and, of course, the maniacal Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 film, Batman. So, when Ledger accepted the role of the Joker in Christopher Nolan's latest Batman film, The Dark Knight, Nicholson reportedly forewarned the Australian actor about the affect the role would have on him. Before Ledger's death, he looked uncomfortable and shifty in many interviews done around the time he was filming The Dark Knight. In a November 2007 interview with the New York Times he summed up part of his experience playing the Joker:

"Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night. I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going."

Ledger Couldn't Rinse Off Make-Up

Ledger, being the dedicated actor that many said he was, had apparently became so entrenched in the character of the Joker that he took it home with him after leaving the set. Maybe he had it a little tougher than his predecessor. The Joker he was playing was different from the one Nicholson had portrayed. Ledger's Joker was darker, more sinister; a sharp contrast to the colourful and bubbly - albeit criminal - clown Nicholson had so masterfully brought to the screen almost 20 years ago. Ledger reportedly lived by himself in a motel room for a month to prepare for the role. It was there that he worked on the Joker's psychology, posture and voice while studying dark Batman comic books and Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange character Alex, a character he was using as inspiration.

Ledger's deceased body was discovered in his New York City apartment on January 22, 2008, after The Dark Knight had finished filming and was in post-production. It was later discovered that he had died from an accidental overdose of prescriptions drugs, including sleeping pills.

Tragedy and Triumph

When Ledger was cast as the Joker and Nolan was asked why he was chosen, he simply answered: "Because he's fearless." It's hard to say how other actors would have responded to playing the challenging role. Robin Williams, Paul Bettany and Adrien Brody all expressed interest in the role before Ledger's casting. But perhaps this role will go down as one of Ledger's finest. Perhaps he was the best one for the job, despite the tragic and unexpected outcome. Nolan summed up his feeling about Ledger's work as the Joker by calling it "stunning" and "iconic." Many critics who have seen the film are whispering about the potential for a posthumous Oscar win. The world will get to see the performance for itself when The Dark Knight opens on July 18th.

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