Earlier this month, Batman News reviewed a new book titled “100 Things Batman Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die” and recommended it.
Author Joseph McCabe interviewed Christian Bale in 2008, and in an excerpt from the book published by The Hollywood Reporter, Bale revealed that Heath Ledger wanted him to punch him for real during their intense interrogation scene.
What was it like working with Heath Ledger as the Joker?
Christian Bale: Our first scene was in an interrogation room together, and I saw that he’s a helluva actor who’s completely committed to it and totally gets the tone that Chris [Nolan] is trying to create with this. We’re not going for actors revealing their enjoyment of playing a wacky caricature. We’re treating this as serious drama. You go into character and you stay in the character. I love that. I find that so ridiculous that I love it, and I take that very seriously. Heath was definitely embracing that. When he was in the makeup and the garb he was in character the whole time; and when he took it off he was absolutely fantastic company to be around.
As you see in the movie, Batman starts beating the Joker and realizes that this is not your ordinary foe. Because the more I beat him the more he enjoys it. The more I’m giving him satisfaction. Heath was behaving in a very similar fashion. He was kinda egging me on. I was saying, “You know what, I really don’t need to actually hit you. It’s going to look just as good if I don’t.” And he’s going, “Go on. Go on. Go on….” He was slamming himself around, and there were tiled walls inside of that set which were cracked and dented from him hurling himself into them. His commitment was total.
For more excerpts from “100 Things Batman Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die”, check out the source link below.
SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter
