It seems as if every couple of years there’s an article on Heath Ledger and the lead up to his death. Many try and link his dedicated approach to the role to his untimely demise however those accusations are not only misguided but pretty offensive too. As we all know, Ledger died in 2008 from an accidental drug overdose at the age of 28. The world was shocked and Hollywood had lost one of it’s brightest stars.
In the lead up to The Dark Knight, Ledger had spoken frequently about his inspirations behind the Joker and the methods he would go to in order to achieve a unique take on the character. He told Empire:
“I sat around in a hotel room in London for about a month, locked myself away, formed a little diary and experimented with voices — it was important to try to find a somewhat iconic voice and laugh. I ended up landing more in the realm of a psychopath — someone with very little to no conscience towards his acts. He’s just an absolute sociopath, a cold-blooded, mass-murdering clown…Nothing intimidates him, and everything is a big joke.”
Well now it seems that according to an exclusive article from Page Six, a source familiar with the actors death has recently described how he was surrounded by Batman paraphernalia ranging from comic books & literature to clown statues. There were also recordings of Ledger practicing his laugh as the Joker. The source then went on to describe how his apartment was very clean and that all of the research material for the Joker was neatly organized.
“He was a perfectionist who clearly had a lot of respect for the character. All of that stuff was very tidy. He cared a lot about it.”
The law enforcement source then went onto explain a little bit more about the research material that they had found:
“He was studying up on the origins of clowns and all of the previous Jokers like Jack Nicholson’s character and Cesar Romero’s, who was the first Joker on TV. He was trying to make his role different from the roles of the other actors. He was even studying how to make his voice different from theirs.”
Now obviously this is hardly shocking news and a lot of the information, if not all of it, we’ve already known from various other sources. The 2012 documentary Too Young To Die, had already given us a great insight behind Ledgers last days and even when he was alive, he was very vocal about his methods and preparation for the character.
Since his death new rumors have come and gone but many Batman fans seem to believe that the inspiration for the Jokers voice came from a Tom Waits interview and to be quite honest with you, I’d have to agree.
Pretty uncanny, right?
Heath Ledger was a true acting talent that died way too young. It’s scary to think that it’s been over 8 years since his death and it’s one that many of us will never forget.
Who’s your favorite Joker? And what’s your interpretation of the Clown Prince of Crime? Sound off down below!
Source: PageSix