Christopher Nolan Remembers How “Terrifying” Heath Ledger Was As The Joker

It's been 10 years since Heath Ledger's passing and it seems like The Dark Knight trilogy director Christopher Nolan is taking some time to reflect on the actor's compelling portrayal of the classic Batman villain, the Joker.

Speaking with BBC Radio 1, the filmmaker looked back at his time working with Ledger on the set of The Dark Knight, remembering how much Ledger was inclined to improvise the role on set.

"…He would sort of give me hints about what he was going to do. We would talk about it a bit. And I would try and be an audience for him and sort of engage with him, what he was doing. But a lot of it was about unpredictability, and I think he wanted to play his cards close to the chest. He would very gradually reveal to me the ‘voice' and the way he was going to do things – but not in one go, like, ‘Here's the Joker.' "

Nolan admitted that though he had fun being part of Ledger's creative process in developing the Joker, it was also terrifying knowing how "you never knew what the guy was going to do."

"We watched him sort of develop it, with the wardrobe and the makeup, and I kind of got to be a part of that creative process, which was great fun, but on-set, there were always moments like that clapping or things he would do with his voice. His voice was so unpredictable. He created this bizarre pitch. I've seen a lot of people try and imitate it since. But we never quite knew if he was going to go high or if he was going to go low. You never knew what that guy was going to do, and that's what was terrifying about him."

The interview was with Nolan was published during the anniversary of Ledger's death. The Australian actor and director passed away from a combination of prescription drugs back in January 22, 2008, and his untimely death shook the film industry. Ten years after, fans still praise Ledger's work as the Joker, saying that it might be impossible for anyone else to outperform the actor as the Batman villain.

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