Jack Nicholson, who played the Joker in 1989 - and who was furious he wasn’t consulted about the creepy role - offered a cryptic comment when told Ledger was dead.
“Well,” Nicholson told reporters in London early Wednesday, “I warned him.”
That last quote gave me chills
Really? Interesting if true
I read something that said he told him not to do it. Joker is one of, if not the, most sadistic villains. He kills to kill. There’s no method. Which is why all of the previous portrails were campy or jokey.
There is no way you can portray a character like that and not bring home even the smallest bits of it. It’s kind of sad. The Joker was scary as shit, and I honestly believe that getting into that character messed with his head.
It would be really interesting to see the notebook Ledger kept while working up the character, maybe it did mess with his head.. and that quote is something to think about, if true.
Heath Ledger was hugely affected by this role. Nicholson did warn him against it. To prepare, Ledger spent vast amount of time alone and kept a production diary as mentioned above. The last thing he wrote in his diary was BYE BYE.
Ledger talked about his inability to fall asleep and how even with two ambien he barely slept at night. As is widely known, Ledger died of an overdose. Some say it was accidental while others believe he was a partier… The drugs he died of were meant for insonima, anxiety, pain, and a cold and none were taken in excess. Heath was a troubled man after his role as the joker, but no one can deny he played that role better than anyone ever had or ever will. The sadness of the situation aside, this is an amazing photo of the jokers.
The OG father and the wilder/crazier son.
