The late Heath Ledger’s performance of The Joker in The Dark Knight was beyond anything that anyone could expect from Joker. Heath Ledger single-handedly reinvented the character and made his mark in the Batman film canon. Here are 5 more reasons why it became iconic:
The Joker Was Actually Scary
Before Heath Ledger’s Joker, all the celluloid versions of the Clown Prince of Crime were more of the campy versions. Heath Ledger made his own path with his version, scaring his audience with his psychopathic acts. There was no rhyme or real reason to his acts, apart from the fact that he terrorized the people of Gotham with bombs, blowing up a hospital dressed as a nurse…the list is endless. The scene where he slices open a man’s face into an upward smile while talking about his childhood(made up or not) was particularly a chilling scene to witness.
The Joker’s Makeover
In the comics, The Joker got his white complexion after being doused in the chemical. Heath Ledger gave his Joker a bit of a backstory, one where the character wore the clown make up messy and unkempt. He even smeared chalk all over his hands to remind the audience that The Joker did his own make-up and he just did not care about great finishing.
The Joker’s Quote
“Why So Serious?”- Three words that have become connected to the character of The Joker, said in the most maniacal voice that may send chills down your spine. Heath Ledger prepared his voice to take on a presence and that’s what it did. Given that The Joker is a man in clown makeup(Clowns traditionally make people laugh) whose humor might scare more than bringing people to smile, it can also be seen as irony in its sharpest form.
The Clap
When The Joker is captured by Jim Gordon, he does not sit inside his jail cell meek and afraid. Instead, he waits for the arrival of Gordon and Mayor Garcia.The Mayor promotes Gordon to Police Commissioner, which caused an applause to erupts in the room, but one clap becomes an attention grabber. The Joker’s slow clap along with his never changing expression was a disturbing and memorable scene. Heath Ledger actually made up the clap as it was not a part of the scene in the script.
His Method Preparation Was Manic
Heath Ledger took his role of The Joker so seriously that he locked himself in a hotel room for six weeks to prepare for the role. He kept a diary filled with images of playing cards, brutal scenes from Batman comics, photos of hyenas, stills of Alex DeLearge from A Clockwork Orange, and sadistic news stories to mentally prepare himself on set.
