In the vast landscape of Hollywood, few have left an impact on the ever-changing nature of the film industry like Heath Ledger. The brilliant actor left the world in 2008, just months before the world could witness the best performance of his life: Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Still hailed as one of the best Joker portrayals of all time, the actor continues to be remembered for his talents, wits, and performances even after all this time.
Heath Ledger’s Last Diary Entry and the Animal that Inspired Joker
Heath Ledger died due to an accidental overdose at the age of 28 (see THR) when he was at the prime of his career. While many initially hailed the actor’s death as suicide due to his role as the diabolical, complex, and devilish Joker in The Dark Knight, which certainly made a significant impact on his mental health (see People), it was later ruled ‘accidental’.
Having passed away just months before the world could witness his impeccable near-perfect, if not perfect performance, Ledger continues to be missed even after decades sinces the movie was released. In an interview with Empire, months before his death, the actor had revealed the extreme steps he had taken to prepare for the role.
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.
The said diary has resurfaced on the internet, which was first revealed in Too Young To Die, a documentary made on the actor’s life. Featured in one of the pages of the diary is a picture of a hyena, which fans and others widely believe, inspired his iconic Joker laugh.
The images and text featured in the diary are definitely not for the faint of heart, for some of them feature harrowing details such as his last diary entry, with only the words— Bye Bye— scribbled on the whole page.
Fans React to Heath Ledger’s The Dark Knight Dairy
In the documentary, Heath Ledger: Too Young To Die, Heath Ledger’s father Kim revealed the diary that the actor used to keep while filming and prepping for his role as Joker. From ideas to scribbled notes to references and more, the diary also contains pictures and more. Instead of Ledger, the diary looks more like it was written by Batman’s greatest nemesis, whom the Australian actor rightly described as an absolute sociopath, a cold-blooded, mass-murdering clown in his interview with Empire.
After some of the pictures of the diary’s images went viral on Instagram, this is how fans reacted:
His handwriting changes, you can tell it’s obsession. -@naitikk_sxinda
Damn not the bye bye in the last page. -karlscfni
So sad. This should have never been made public. Method acting can be dangerous. Is it really acting at that point? -@formertattedteach
Bro was so much into acting that he stopped acting. -@onebignose
Even his hand writing changed from the first to the last entry. That role physiologically changed him. -@jess26127
As fans continue to lament the actor’s death, there is no denying that his portrayal of Joker extended beyond accolades. Even now, his iconic portrayal continues to influence roles and movies across the film industry, leaving an indelible mark on both superhero movies and the broader cinematic landscape.
The Dark Knight and Heath Ledger: Too Young To Die can be streamed on Amazon Prime.
