Heath Ledger is taking The Joker very seriously. Talking to The New York Times about his turn as a Bob Dylan in I’m Not There, Ledger revealed the stress of playing the villain in The Dark Knight.
It is a physically and mentally draining role — his Joker is a “psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy” he said cheerfully — and, as often happens when he throws himself into a part, he is not sleeping much.
“Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,” he said. “I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.” One night he took an Ambien, which failed to work. He took a second one and fell into a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing.
I’m always interested in how actors find their roles; Ledger is bringing the work home with him, complete with a special Joker diary, where he lists things that The Joker would find funny. Like AIDS. Who would have imagined The Joker and people with good senses of humor would have so much in common? Maybe at the junket Ledger can share his favorite AIDS jokes with us.*
For fans of Batman Begins this level of psychological intensity is surely good news. Ledger is throwing himself completely into the role, and can probably be counted on to deliver a grim, joyless performance that will perfectly complement Christian Bale.
*What do you call an HIV Positive man in a wheelchair? Roll AIDS. (this might be the first AIDS joke I remember hearing)**
**Two Polish junkies are sitting in the park shooting up. When one junkie is done with the needle the other junkie uses it to get high. The first junkie is aghast. ‘How could you use that same needle? Don’t you know I have AIDS!’ The second junkie is calm. ‘It’s okay,’ he says. ‘I’m wearing a condom.’