That’s right! On today’s edition of Movie Fun Facts, we bring you to the extreme lengths that actors go to play their roles!
When Heath Ledger was cast as the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008), he wanted to create a version that was completely unique — different from Jack Nicholson’s portrayal in Batman (1989).
To do this, Ledger isolated himself in a London hotel room for about six weeks.
He kept a diary, which he filled with disturbing notes, drawings, and phrases that reflected the Joker’s chaotic worldview.
He experimented with voices, laughs, and facial expressions until he developed the Joker’s unsettling, high-pitched cackle and unhinged mannerisms.
He studied villains, criminals, and even real-life psychopaths to capture the Joker’s unpredictability.
Ledger even said the experience was mentally exhausting, but it paid off — his performance won him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, making the Joker one of the most iconic characters in film history.