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It can be said that Heath Ledger's Joker performance was one of the greatest of all time. His untimely death is an undeniable factor as to why our hearts get heavy when we see Heath's face painted behind that make-up. Putting everything he had into that role, Heath told reporters he “slept an average of two hours a night” while playing “a psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy …”I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.”
Called Heath's “cinematic gravestone,” The Dark Knight will forever live on in our memory. In fact, his role inspired a countless number of artists to reach into their own dark side to create something special.
The Dark Knight's Oscar bid
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It was Jack Nicholson, the actor who played the Joker in 1989, who even warned Heath about the role. Jack told reporters in London, “I warned him.”
Source: NY Daily News