by Daniel Robert Epstein
I recently got the chance to talk with Heath Ledger at a press roundtable for the movie Candy. While on the hot seat I got the chance to grill Ledger about his upcoming role of The Joker in The Dark Knight.
Daniel Robert Epstein: Have you started to think about how you will play The Joker?
Heath Ledger: Yeah. Ive been trying to delay my commitment to the preparation process on that because Im trying to extend my holiday time. I definitely have an image in my head. I definitely have something up my sleeve. I want to be very sinister. Its so early that Im trying to be open at this point. I dont want to be glued down to anyone.
DRE: Have you read many Batman comics?
HL: No and I think thats kind of helping me a little bit. I was never really a fan of comic books or comic book movies. I never despised them but I was never one to read them. I never sought out the films but I would sit down and enjoy them. So because of that I really feel that Im not carrying much pressure.
DRE: Have they given or asked you to read certain comics?
HL: The Killing Joke was the one that was handed to me. I think its going to be the beginning of The Joker. I guess that book explains a little bit of where hes from but not too much. From what Ive gathered, there isnt a lot of information about The Joker and its left that way.
DRE: Is doing the role of The Joker scary after Jack Nicholson did it so well?
HL: Im not going for the same thing he went for. That would be stupid. It is also two very different directors with different styles. Tim Burton did a more fantastical kind of thing and Chris Nolan is doing nitty gritty handheld realism. I love what [Jack] did and that is part of why I want to do that role. I remember seeing it and thinking how much fun it would be to put on that mask and attempt to do something along those lines. But it would obviously be murder if I tried to imitate what he did.
DRE: Theyre talking about bringing in the co-creator of The Joker, Jerry Robinson, as a consultant on The Dark Knight. I dont know if it would be more of an honorary title.
HL: It probably is [laughs].
DRE: Have you ever wanted to do superhero movies before?
HL: Not really. With the tights and undies and the boots, I would just feel stupid and silly. I couldnt pull it off and there are other people who can perfectly. But I just couldnt take myself seriously. I feel like this is an opportunity to be in one and not do that. I just gravitated towards the villain role because I felt I had something to give to it. I instantly had an idea.
DRE: Have you done screen tests with The Joker makeup yet?
HL: No, but I did do 3-D image scanning. I dont know what theyre doing with it. This Bat truck turned up at my place in L.A.. It had these gadgets and cameras that zoom around you and up and down you. It instantly projects a three dimensional image of you. Ive never used anything that high tech before in a film. I felt like I was in the truck from Knight Rider.
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