Chrisian Bale doubts Joker role in ‘The Dark Knight’ killed Heath Ledger
Posted on June 17th, 2008 by Hot Momma
Christian Bale has refuted speculation that the demands placed on Heath Ledger in his role as The Joker for The Dark Knight film contributed to the late actor’s tragic death.
Ledger’s dark portrayal of The Joker in the upcoming Batman sequel sparked rumors after his death in January that the Australian actor’s immersion in the role had been so consuming, it lead crew members to suggest he seek counseling.
The Brokeback Mountain star died after an accidental overdose of prescription drugs and anonymous sources claimed after his sad passing that he had refused to talk to Dark Knight cast and crew out of character, preferring to remain in the guise of the comic book villain.
But according to Bale, who plays Bruce Wayne – Batman for the second time in Christopher Nolan’s film, any suggestion that Ledger’s mental state would have been affected by the demands of the role is incorrect. He explained in an interview with Total Film magazine.
“It’s not for me to tell anybody or to pretend to have insights beyond what I absolutely know, but my instincts are that the idea Heath was disturbed by playing The Joker is ridiculous. Heath was somebody who, like myself, acted for that immersion in a character. It’s not an unusual thing. And from working with him and knowing him, I don’t think that was unusual for him at all.”
The Dark Knight will be released on July 25th.
The thing about Heath not speaking out of character is false. One person I know spoke to someone in makeup on the set, and by the time the conversation was over, he had decided that this guy was the nicest guy ever. Only after Nolan called Heath onto the set did he realize who it was. Now unless I have totally missed the point thus far about the joker, I’m sure he wouldn’t deduce that someone in character as a mass-murdering clown was the nicest guy ever