Christian Bale is unarguably one of the most talented method actors in Hollywood. This one trait of his has earned him massive worldwide recognition, acclamation, and even respect in the eyes of his peers and seniors alike. However, his The Dark Knight co-star Heath Ledger may have beaten him at his own game when it comes to method acting while enacting the role of the Joker in their only DC film together.
In fact, the late Ledger’s method acting was so amusing and beyond eclipsing his own method acting skills that even Christian Bale was taken aback by his one demand of getting goaded by him in real life during their scene together in the movie.
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Heath Ledger’s Firm Commitment For The Dark Knight Shook Christian Bale
During an old, unearthed interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Christian Bale, who played Batman in Christopher Nolan’s epic masterpiece The Dark Knight trilogy, shared how the late Joker portrayer earned his respect while working on the film together.
Talking about the scene where Bale’s character interrogated Heath Ledger‘s character, the American Psycho star said:
“Our first scene was in an interrogation room together, and I saw that he’s a helluva actor who’s completely committed to it and totally gets the tone that Chris [Nolan] is trying to create with this. […] As you see in the movie, Batman starts beating the Joker and realizes that this is not your ordinary foe. Because the more I beat him the more he enjoys it. The more I’m giving him satisfaction. ”
As it turned out, the late legend was, in fact, egging him on to goad him in real life to make the scene look more realistic—something that even had Christian Bale stunned.
“Heath was behaving in a very similar fashion. He was kinda egging me on. I was saying, “You know what, I really don’t need to actually hit you. It’s going to look just as good if I don’t.” And he’s going, “Go on. Go on. Go on…” He was slamming himself around, and there were tiled walls inside of that set which were cracked and dented from him hurling himself into them. His commitment was total.”
No doubt Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight was a total masterpiece to the core!
Heath Ledger ‘Embraced’ His Character As Joker, Says Christian Bale
Continuing, Christian Bale also shared his own experience while method acting for his role of the Caped Crusader. He said:
“We’re not going for actors revealing their enjoyment of playing a wacky caricature. We’re treating this as serious drama. You go into character and you stay in the character. I love that. I find that so ridiculous that I love it, and I take that very seriously.”
However, Heath Ledger’s experience was much different than his own: while he did an absolutely immaculate job on sets and the big screen as Joker, off the sets, he was nothing short of the epitome of one of the most appealing companies ever.
“Heath [Ledger] was definitely embracing that. When he was in the makeup and the garb he was in character the whole time; and when he took it off he was absolutely fantastic company to be around.”
Although we all knew what a massively commendable actor Ledger was, this revelation about his outstanding personality further adds stars to the late legend’s already star-studded legacy.
