Heath Ledger as Joker will always be iconic, and it is too bad the actor did not live long enough to see what he has done and the impact he left on others. It was possible only because Christopher Nolan did not give in to the fans’ demands and stood his ground to cast him in the role despite facing backlash from the fan community. Jonathan Nolan once opened up about it in an old interview. Scroll below to get the deets.
For the unversed, Jonathan, Christopher Nolan’s brother, was also a screenwriter on the Christian Bale-led sequel that came out in 2008. Although Heath passed away before the release of Nolan’s movie, his portrayal of Joker is said to be one of the greatest in the history of comic book movies, and in general, too, he was praised for his performance. Ledger won numerous posthumous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. He unfortunately passed away from an accidental overdose.
According to Jonathan Nolan’s interview with The Hollywood Reporter, when Christopher Nolan locked Heath Ledger for the Joker’s role in The Dark Knight, Jonathan and the studio also questioned him. Jonathan revealed that when the news of Heath’s casting came out, fans went crazy and were unhappy about it. However, Nolan stuck to his decision.
Jonathan Nolan recalled, “And the fan community was — we were f—— pilloried for it. ‘This is a disaster. The worst casting decision ever made.’ And Chris just hunkered down and stuck to his guns and just kept moving along.” Jonathan explained Christopher Nolan’s mindset behind this decision: “Respectfully, it was a question of not giving the fans what they’re asking for but what they want, right. What they really want. Which is let’s find a really f—— serious actor. Somebody who’s going to come in here and just tear this role to pieces.”
In a separate interview with THR, Charles Roven, one of the producers of The Dark Knight, he also said the same thing about people being unhappy with Heath Ledger’s casting as Joker in The Dark Knight and how Christopher Nolan did not pay heed to any of it. Roven said, “When we cast Heath Ledger, it was like, ‘What? Heath Ledger? What, as The Joker? Are you kidding me?'”
Thankfully, Christopher Nolan stood his ground and proceeded with Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight, giving the Cinephilles one of the most outstanding performances in the history of cinema. Ledger will be remembered by the fans forever.