Case studies
What there anything that surprised you
about Heath?
It certainly didn’t surprise me that the
performance was as great as it was.
I definitely expected that from him because
I had seen his previous work. What really
surprised me was how easy he was to work
with. Because he put so much into his
performances I was certainly a little
worried that he might take himself very
seriously. But he didn’t. Heath was a very
warm and fun person to have around and a
great collaborator.
Heath adopts an unusual way of speaking
in the film, using his tongue in a strange
fashion…
Heath Ledger as The Joker
It’s tricky because I don’t particularly want
to speak for him, but at the same time my that as part of the character. Then the trick from the character. They don’t feel like sort
impression of the thing with the tongue in the editing suite is to put just the right of actorly touches. I don’t read them as
was that when he first started to do it, I emphasis that the actor is intending on that. I read them as genuinely part of the
thought it was a mistake. He has this those kinds of elements in the performance fabric of a real human being.
prosthetic that was covering his lower lip and not show too many of them or too
and it would come unglued sometimes and much of them. It was an interesting How did Aaron Eckhart react when you
I’d seen him sort of sticking it back with balance editing the performance because he showed him Two-Face’s make-up?
his tongue. It was only after a few weeks of has all kinds of interesting facets, all kinds We’d shown him the sculptures and the early
shooting that I realised that wasn’t what he of mannerisms and things. What I like designs. He seemed pretty impressed with
was doing, but that he had started to adopt about them all is they feel like they come the finished product. I can’t imagine what
Bale on Batman
Batman: hero or vigilante?
Christian Bale reflects on his role as Batman
A bit of both. He’s only needed because the
system has failed. You want to believe that
citizens will stand up and fight for justice,
in a position where the system’s failed. But
ideally, just as Bruce Wayne wants to create
a foundation where the system can succeed
and you can get elected officials like Harvey
Dent who have integrity, you don’t need
Batman. He becomes obsolete and that’s
what Bruce Wayne is looking for. But he’s
a multifaceted character, that’s what I enjoy
about this portrayal. He’s not a one-
dimensional hero. The Dark Knight sums
him up very well—usually it’s a white
knight in shining armour that shows up!
He’s pure of heart. But this guy has a desire
to do good, an altruism born for his parents,
but he also has a great deal of violence,
anger and a lust for revenge—very negative
emotions that he has to keep in check all
the time. So there’s always that question
mark: is he going to cross the line? He
looks demonic, not like a knight, and for a
superhero he’s very conflicted. He really
isn’t a superhero—he has no super powers.
28 By Filmmakers. For Filmmakers.
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