Heath Ledger could actually be nominated for an Oscar for the Joker(from Access Hollywood/OMG!);
Could Heath Ledger Earn A Posthumous Oscar Nomination For The Joker?
March 10, 2008, 2:14 pm PDT
celebs:
Heath Ledger
The late
Heath Ledger is garnering early buzz for his role as The Joker in the upcoming Christopher Nolan-directed "The Dark Knight," but could his performance be Oscar-worthy?
In a new article, Tom O'Neil of
the Los Angeles Times suggests there is a possibility of Heath earning a posthumous Oscar nomination, if the hype surrounding his performance in the film is accurate.
[ All Access: Heath Ledger, Part I - Watch the Video ]
One person who is offering up rave reviews of is the film's director, Christopher Nolan, who has described Heath's performance as "iconic."
Nolan told the
New York Times he felt a "massive sense of responsibility" to make a film that would honor Heath's "terrifying, amazing" performance and said that Heath's interpretation of The Joker is inspiring.
[ Heath Ledger - View the Gallery ]
"It's stunning, it's iconic," Nolan said "It's going to just blow people away."
Wally Pfister, "The Dark Knight's" cinematographer, echoes Nolan's sentiments, telling the New York Times, Heath seemed "like he was busting blood vessels in his head. It was like a seance, where the medium takes on another person and then is so completely drained."
[ All Access: Heath Ledger ]
If the film does result in an Academy Award nod, it won't be the first time Heath has been up for an Oscar. He was previously nominated for Best Actor for "Brokeback Mountain" in 2005.
And if Heath were to win, he would follow Peter Finch as the only actors to ever win a posthumous Oscar. Finch won for his role in "Network" in 1976.
[ First Look: 'The Dark Knight' - Watch the Video ]