A German documentary about the life of Heath Ledger is giving a glimpse into how he created his chilling Joker for The Dark Knight.
A scene from the doc shows Ledger’s father, Kim Ledger, leafing through a diary his son kept while preparing for the role.
“He pretty well locked himself up in a hotel, in his apartment, for a month or so, to sort of galvanize the upcoming character in his own mind,” Kim Ledger said. “That was typical of Heath on any movie. He would certainly immerse himself in the upcoming character. I think this was just a whole new level.”
The diary is filled with images of playing cards, scenes from Batman comics, photos of hyenas, and stills of Alex DeLearge from A Clockwork Orange. The word “Chaos” can also be seen, written in caps and highlighted in green.
Ledger died in January 2008 at the age of 28. The following year, he was awarded a posthumous Oscar for his role as the Joker, and that statuette can be seen in the clip below as his father looks through the diary.
Meet All the Actors Who Have Played Batman and Robin
Lewis Wilson was the first actor to play Batman on screen, with Douglas Croft joining him as the first Robin in the 1943 film Batman.Columbia Pictures—Getty ImagesRobert Lowery was the second to don the guise of Batman, playing the caped crusader in the 15 chapter serial, Batman and Robin in 1949.EverettJohnny Duncan played Robin to Lowery's Batman in the 1949 Batman and Robin serial.Columbia Adam West played the role of masked crime fighter for three seasons on the 1960s television series Batman.Mondadori—Getty ImagesBurt Ward joined Adam West as his Robin for the Batman television series.Silver Screen Collection/Getty ImagesMichael Keaton played Batman in the 1992 film Batman Returns.Warner Bros.Following Keaton three years later, Val Kilmer portrayed the billionaire playboy in 1995's Batman Forever.Warner Bros.Chris O'Donnell played Robin for two different Batmen. He was Val Kilmer's Robin in 1995 (pictured above) and then joined George Clooney in 1997 for the widely panned Batman & Robin.Warner Bros.Hard to remember, but George Clooney once took a turn as Batman, back in the 1997--before the Oscars knew his name so well.Warner Bros.Christian Bale donned the mask for Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.Ron Phillips—Warner BrosBen Affleck is the latest to join the ranks of actors who have portrayed the caped crusader, in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie.DCComics.comWill Arnett voices Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Lego Batman Movie, a 3D-animated take on the DC superhero and a spin-off of 2014's The Lego Movie.Warner Bros.
