Michael Caine reveals his first reaction to Heath Ledger’s “chilling” Joker in The Dark Knight
Warner Bros.17 years after Heath Ledger brought the most memorable Joker to life in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, Michael Caine has praised the late actor for his performance.
With so many Jokers to choose from over the years, there’s a reason Heath Ledger’s has come up time and time again as a fan favourite. His frenzied, psychopathic take on the Clown Prince of Crime has clearly been an influence on those who followed, including Jared Leto and Barry Keoghan’s versions.
While he only appeared in the one superhero movie in the villain role, Ledger set a bar for those who would carry the Joker’s name.
His Dark Knight co-star Michael Caine has since shared what he loved about Ledger’s performance, as well as his reaction to seeing it for the first time.
Michael Caine praises Heath Ledger’s Joker
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly to promote his new memoir, Don’t Look Back, You’ll Trip Over, Caine admitted to not knowing how Ledger would get his version of the character to stand out among the likes of Jack Nicholson in 1989’s Batman.
“[Ledger] was a lovely guy, very gentle and unassuming,” he said. “I wondered how he was going to play the Joker, especially as Jack Nicholson’s take had been so iconic.”
Warner Bros. Pictures“Brilliantly, Heath ramped up the character’s psychotic side rather than going for one-liners. His Joker was deeply, deeply warped and damaged, though you never find out exactly why, or what he’s really looking for.”
Part of Ledger’s transformation included the famous Joker makeup and warped smile. Upon seeing it for the first time, Caine recalled just how “chilling” it was.
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“As Alfred says to Bruce, ‘Some men just want to watch the world burn.’ And that was Heath’s version of the character: the smeared make-up, the weird hair, the strange voice. It was chilling. Absolutely floored me the first time I saw him in action – I was terrified!”
“Looking back, I think Heath’s excellence made all of us raise our game,” he added.
For more, check out our ranking of all the best Batman movies, and find out what’s happening with The Batman 2. Otherwise, check out all the new movies coming out this month.
