In 2008, “The Dark Knight,” directed by Christopher Nolan (“Memento”) burst on to screens with one major question in mind: What kind of Joker would Heath Ledger be? After all, he was most known for his Oscar-nominated role in the
In 2008, “The Dark Knight,” directed by Christopher Nolan (“Memento”) burst on to screens with one major question in mind: What kind of Joker would Heath Ledger be? After all, he was most known for his Oscar-nominated role in the controversial “Brokeback Mountain,” a role that did not require the skill to pull off a new take on a very well-known character.
The constant comparison of Ledger to Jack Nicholson’s Joker in 1989’s “Batman” was all the media was discussing, as well as constant “Oscar buzz” (Ledger would win the 2009 Best Supporting Actor Oscar, only the second to win after their death).
Another firestorm surrounding “The Dark Knight” was Ledger’s death of a drug overdose a mere six months before the film’s release. At age 28 a future Hollywood legend was gone. As I pondered the many things that makes this movie good (great action, drama, FX, sound, editing, camera work), I came to one conclusion — Ledger steals the show.
Ledger delivers his A-game in every frame of the film. From his entrance to his first “significant” scene, he is scary. I’ve seen the movie 30 times and every time Ledger scares me. There is not a moment in the movie where you can spot Ledger; he becomes The Joker. Ledger is not an actor portraying a famed comic-book character and in this role he crossed the line between life and art.
The sad reality is, on a personal level Ledger was going through a divorce, a rigorous travel schedule to visit his daughter and, most importantly, fame had gotten to him. In an interview weeks before his death Ledger stressed how he couldn’t go to Starbucks with his iPod and have tea-time to himself.
In the film, Ledger’s personal demons appear. If you look into his eyes, he’s gone.
Kaua‘i resident Alonzo Greer was a collaborator and close friend of Ledger’s, and had these words to share: “A moment that stands clear in mind was when I was having trouble really getting what it is this ‘acting’ thing is all about. One morning Heath came into my dressing room because he knew I was having trouble. He wanted to help me see the light. He said ‘OK, Zo, relax and I want you to just look into my eyes.’ So I started looking into his eyes and we were looking at each other for like three minutes without a word. Suddenly his eyes teared up because he could see that I could not see as clearly as I wanted to or as clearly as he would have hoped in order to make my acting more realistic.”
Ledger is now referred to as a dead movie star, lost legend, Oscar nominee, Oscar winner; but I think we all need to remember he was just a human.
• Paul Booth of Lihu‘e is a Kaua‘i Community College graduate, film producer and consultant. He can be reached at pkb_1@hotmail.com.
