The character ‘Joker’ is one of the top favorite villains in the world. The personality of this character is what makes it so versatile. People adore him for all the right reasons; joker is not just crazy insane but intelligent at the same time. Considering the hero is as great as the villain, no one likes an easy fight.
Heath Ledger wanted to be a BATMAN and not a ‘joker’
When the auditions were opened for the ‘the dark knight,’ Heath originally wanted to play the role of Batman. But he ended up getting the role of ‘joker.’ And the person who decided that Heath would be the best person to play this role stands corrected, as he ended up winning an Oscar for it. So apparently it was good decision.
First actor to win an Oscar for playing a villain
Everyone knows that if an actor wants to win an Oscar, you do not end up doing a ‘superhero’ movie. Oscars usually look for categories like art films, or movies that have a strong message to give. When Heath won an Oscar for this role, it took everyone by surprise as it was so unexpected. He was not just the first one in history to win one in a category like this but also the first one to win after he has passed away.
Clockwork Orange
Heath took his inspiration for this character from ‘Clockwork Orange.’ This movie has come out in the 1970’s and was the craziest movies of its time. The strange mannerisms of the character had to be acted with authenticity. Very close to how an insane person would act. Heath went an extra mile to play this role, and no one could have nailed it better.
To get into the character he locked himself up
There is a thing called as ‘method acting.’ The actors start to think and live like the character to get all the aspects of it. The psychological aspects as well as the physical ones. This way an actor truly gets into the shoes of the role he is playing. He isolated himself and imagined what it would be like if he were insane. Being alone for so long made him realize what it would be like for a character like ‘joker.’ He had to stop after a while as ‘method acting’ started to affect his relationships.
The joker was a true ‘Genius’
There has been endless debate about whether the joker was just another crazy individual or was there was a genius hiding behind that character. Heath made sure he played a role in such a manner, that it would tell the world that joker was brilliant at his madness. He did everything very strategically and not irrationally. There was a logic behind all his plans.
Joker did his own Makeup
The makeup artist assigned to the film was originally supposed to do Heath’s makeup. But considering how Heath wanted to put his element and perception of the character into his acting that he did the makeup himself. He didn’t want a touch of perfection in his makeup, and he wanted it to stay natural – Like an insane person had painted his face.
