Heath Ledger achieved to be a cinema legend at a very young age. He was the youngest actor who acted Joker and still he is. This role became one of the most unforgettable roles that have ever been acted and Ledger reached his peak with this role alongside his other successful roles.
Heath’s first role was in a school play, Peter Pan, aged 10
During the famous hospital scene when the Joker is seen dressed up as nurse, his name tag reads Matilda, the name of his daughter
Ledger improvised many parts of the Joker’s performance
The character of the Joker was developed by director-screenwriter Christopher Nolan, screenwriter Jonathan Nolan, and Heath Ledger. Ledger would improvise on set and some of the Joker’s most iconic, scary, and funny moments were a result of Ledger’s improvisation. One example of this is when the Joker, locked in a cell, sarcastically (and menacingly) claps for Gordon’s promotion. The clapping was not originally scripted, but Nolan liked it so much that he kept it in the final cut of the film. Additionally, when the Joker exits the hospital and detonates a bomb behind him, the explosion was supposed to go off the first time. However, when the explosion was accidentally delayed, Ledger decided to stay in character and continue the shot. He mumbled to himself and played around with the remote until the explosion went off. What was originally a technical error became one of the funniest moments of the film.
The scars that the Joker has were originally not in the comic books but Ledger wanted a unique look for his character
Nolan chose to edit the film while grieving and dedicated the movie to Ledger
Christopher Nolan was in the process of editing The Dark Knight when Heath Ledger died. Nolan chose, however, to continue to edit the film in memory of his friend, instead of taking time off to mourn. The director reflected and said that he hoped that the film would have made Ledger proud and that he hoped that the editing choices that he made showcased Ledger’s character correctly. Nolan felt that editing the film was a way to distract himself and simultaneously, it was his responsibility to honor Ledger and the performance that he had given.
Nolan edited with Ledger in mind. He said that while editing, he imagined what would make Ledger happy and how he wanted the final product to be a film that Ledger would have loved. During the editing process, Nolan was confronted with Ledger’s memory constantly. While promoting the film, he said: I see him every day in my edit suite … I study his face, his voice. And I miss him terribly.
