How the late actor impressed his co-star and the world with his iconic performance in The Dark Knight

Christopher Nolan has given the world some fantastic movies, but one of his best contributions to the world of cinema is casting Heath Ledger as Joker in The Dark Knight. The actor passed away at a young age but left his mark in the world. He won several accolades, including the Golden Globes and the Academy Award for his portrayal.

Recently, during this year’s Golden Globes ceremony, Nolan revealed that the last time he was on the stage, he was accepting an award for Heath. Hence, it was an emotional moment for the filmmaker. Heath brought in his input while portraying the character in Nolan’s film, which the Oppenheimer maker initially doubted but decided to trust the artist in him.

Why Michael Caine was stunned by Heath Ledger’s Joker

Heath Ledger was so good in his work that one of his The Dark Knight co-stars and a senior one was left stunned and flipped. The film will always remain iconic for many reasons. Heath as the Clown Prince of Crime tops the list. Even though a method actor like Christian Bale was in the lead, Heath grabbed more attention and praise than the Batman actor.

Now, the senior actor who was floored by Heath Ledger’s performance was Michael Caine, and he opened up about it once in an interview. For the unversed, Caine played the role of Bruce Wayne’s trusted butler, Alfred. Before Heath, actors like Jack Nicholson and Mark Hamill played the character at some point in their careers. While speaking to Empire, Caine said, “Heath Ledger stunned me. Jack [Nicholson] played The Joker as sort of a benign nasty clown — like a wicked uncle. Heath plays him like an absolutely maniacal murderous psychopath. You have never seen anything like it in your life. He is very, very scary.”

He continued, “I turn up every month or so and do a couple of bits, then go back to London. I had to do this bit where Batman and I watch a video which The Joker sends to threaten us. So I’d never seen him, and then he came on the television in the first rehearsal, and I completely forgot my lines. I flipped because it was so stunning. It was quite amazing. Wait until you see it, it’s incredible.”

Unfortunately, Heath passed away due to an alleged drug overdose only six months before the release of The Dark Knight.

What happened to the Joker after Heath Ledger

After Heath Ledger, we saw Jared Leto and Joaquin Phoenix play the role of Joker. While Phoenix earned an Oscar for his portrayal, Leto was heavily criticized for his performance.

Joaquin Phoenix will return as Arthur Fleck in Joker: Folie à Deux, which is set to release in theatres this year.