It seems like anyone who's anyone is piling compliments on Joaquin Phoenix for his stunning portrayal of Arthur Fleck in Joker. However, the latest celebrity who can't help but praise Phoenix is someone who has previously dealt with a different Joker. Aaron Eckhart has just spoken up about Phoenix's performance and even compared the Gladiator actor to his late The Dark Knight co-star Heath Ledger.
Eckhart recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the Todd Phillips movie and he immediately pointed out that Phoenix and Ledger paved the way for actors who will play villains on the big screen.
"I think Heath and Joaquin are showing the way," Eckhart said. "They're showing the way in the sense that they're just being very real and that they go all the way into the bottom of their soul and find where it comes from and they give it to us. That's what those guys did and I think audiences appreciate that the most."
It's a great compliment coming from the man who once played Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight. Although it's unlikely that Eckhart will reprise his role as Two-Face (the character was killed off in the Christopher Nolan film), the actor admitted that his own performance has been compared to that of Tommy Lee Jones, who played the villain in Batman Forever.
"It's all so funny but I don't think about that stuff too much because as I'm getting older, I'm getting more boring," Eckhart said. "It is all so interesting, though — especially seeing my friend Joaquin Phoenix who is killing it with Joker."
OK, so he might not be big on comparisons if it's about him but we're still glad to know Eckhart is proud to see Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime.
Eckhart is currently promoting his new film Line of Duty which will be released on November 15. Joker is still screening in theaters worldwide.
Related: Martin Scorsese Praises Joker Movie for Being 'A Remarkable Work'
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