10 Things You Didn’t Know About Heath Ledger’s Joker
The amount of awesome roles that Heath Ledger jammed packed into his short career is pretty extraordinary. The Australian heartthrob starred in more great films that you probably remember, including 10 Things I Hate About You, The Patriot, A Knight's Tale, Monster's Ball, Ned Kelly, The Brothers Grimm, Lords of Dogtown, Brokeback Mountain, I'm Not There, The Dark Knight, and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.
You'll notice, though, that his filmography stops in 2009, because that's the year he passed away. After going into cardiac arrest from an accidental prescription pill overdoes, Ledger was gone, leaving behind a legacy that won't soon be forgotten.
And this post is dedicated to arguably his best role, a role that will solidify his spot in the action movie lexicon forever. That's right: We're talking about The Joker, Ledger's maniacal and humorous portrayal of Batman's most formidable enemy. Even if you're a huge fan, there are some things you probably don't know about this grinning madman.
#1 Let's face it: Heath Ledger as The Joker was one of the best villains in movie history.
Terrorizing Gotham City with a smile on his face, Ledger's Joker was equal parts terrifying and relatable -- we knew he was evil, but there seemed to be a method to his madness, and we couldn't help rooting for him.
#2 So what are some things you didn't know about the actor and his character?
Well, for starters, Heath was named after Mr. Heathcliff, the dark character from Emily Bronte's classic novel Wuthering Heights.
#3 To understand the character of The Joker, Heath Ledger locked himself up in a motel room for 43 days.
He wanted to get a sense for the isolation that The Joker felt, the completely lack of connection or compassion for humanity.
#4 His look was different than the traditional Joker's.
In fact, he made his version just a little more punk rock: Ledger's Joker was loosely based on the looks of Sid Vicious from the Sex Pistols.
#5 That tongue flip was all Heath, though.
The Joker's famous tongue flip was however, not a specially created characteristic -- apparently, Heath Ledger had a bad habit of flipping his tongue out of his mouth, and he just exaggerated it for the film.
#6 If you can believe it, Ledger almost didn't play The Joker.
Sean Penn was the guy the producers originally had in mind for the role -- he would have been cool, but it definitely wouldn't have been the same. He actually turned it down, because he didn't want to play a role originally played by his friend, Jack Nicholson (he played the Joker in 1989).
#7 Heath Ledger originally wanted to play Batman.
He tried out for Batman Begins in 2005, but both he and Nolan eventually decided he wouldn't be good for the role. Then, in 2008, Nolan called him to be The Joker.
#8 Cristopher Nolan was initially criticized by the media for selecting Heath Ledger.
People didn't understand how a "pretty boy" like Ledger could transform into the role. Luckily, Nolan knew what he was capable of.
#9 You know those scars that form along the smile on The Joker's face?
Those didn't exist in the comic books. In fact, the concept was adapted from Gyonplaine, a character from Victor Hugo's 1928 novel, The Man Who Laughs.
#10 Heath Ledger is the youngest actor to have played The Joker, ever.
Proof that age is just a number, because Ledger's interpretation of the villain was brilliant, nuanced, hilarious, and just the best.
#11 In fact, he even won an Oscar for the role.
In 2009, he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Sadly, it was a year after his death, and he was given the award posthumously.
