Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight Appreciation - Why so serious? - Page 5

**Shopaholic** · 03-17-2008, 06:07 AM

I so can't wait unitl summer to watch the movie..

hottlegs6 · 03-17-2008, 02:49 PM

same here! july feels like it will never come...

**Jenn** · 03-17-2008, 06:50 PM

I want July to get here too! But when it does...that means the year is half over!!

wingster · 03-17-2008, 09:22 PM

i'm counting down till july 18...4 months left

ETA: Couple of interviews
Batman director: My responsibility to Heath Ledger | Batman | THE Q&A | Movies | Entertainment Weekly

Quote:

''I felt very lucky to have something to do,'' says director Christopher Nolan, when talking about the sudden death of Heath Ledger, who plays the Joker in his upcoming Batman movie The Dark Knight (opening July 18). ''I felt an enormous amount of responsibility to him.''

For months now, Nolan has been working to finish his film — something that he says has allowed him to better cope with the abrupt loss of his friend and colleague. Movie-industry dignitaries who attended the annual ShoWest convention in Las Vegas last Thursday got an early glimpse at what the filmmaker has created. Nolan presented a brief scene from the beginning of the movie, in which a group of thieves rob a bank wearing Joker masks and unleashing a startling amount of carnage. It was enough to pique Bat-appetites, but, without any extended look at Ledger's performance, it didn't answer many lingering questions. So when EW.com caught up with Nolan later, we asked him how the tragedy affected the movie, as well as what's next for him and the Batman franchise.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Where are you now in the post-production process on the film?
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN: I just finished my first cut, showed it to the studio last Friday. It's pretty exciting, actually: It's always one of those pretty nervy occasions, and it was really kind of fun.

Have you had the opportunity to take a moment and grieve for Heath Ledger?
Not really.

Sometimes they say that being able to work through tragedy helps you deal with it.
For me, for my process, just working straight through it and wrestling through it and working was actually — I felt very lucky to have something to do. Because for most of the people who knew him far better than I did, who were around him, it was very difficult for his family and everyone. I was very fortunate: I had something very specific to be getting on with — I felt an enormous amount of responsibility to him. So I've really had something to be doing. You always feel a sort of responsibility to an actor that you've clicked with and seen him do something great for you on set. As a director, you can really screw that up in the end; there's no two ways about that. So [I've been focused on] just getting on with trying to preserve the great performance that I knew he had given us.

Have you had to change a lot or do much differently?
No, not at all. You know, he was very proud of what he had done. [His interpretation of the Joker is] very much a character, an iconic character, and very much not [Heath]. So to watch it is actually enthralling and captivating and exciting — all those positive things. I know how proud he was of the part and I'm actually very, very excited to show it to people and have them see it.

Quote:

Back to The Dark Knight: Can you talk a little bit about what it was like to work with Heath Ledger?
Yeah, I'm absolutely fine talking about him. You know, I don't like kind of trivializing the tragedy in conjunction with an interview to do with the movie, which is clearly far less important. But Heath was a joy. He really was like that, because he was a very unique man. I enjoyed watching him work, working with him — you know, we had a lot of the old gang from the first one together, and then there were new members, Heath obviously included. What was so great to see with Heath is just how seriously he took it. And we don't mean in any way to sound sort of pretentious with that, but just in the fact that if we don't take it seriously, then how can any audience ever take it seriously? And he did one hell of a job. You know, you were out there [at the Warner Bros. presentation earlier in the day] — you saw those clips?

**teena1013** · 03-17-2008, 11:23 PM

it's great to hear the christian & christopher talk about how it was working with heath.

**Shopaholic** · 03-18-2008, 04:51 AM

July? YOu guys are lucky.. I have to wait until August..

**Shnicky** · 03-18-2008, 08:33 AM

Aw... I feel like crying everytime fellow actors just talk about how great he was as an actor. HE REALLY WAS! I miss him.

hottlegs6 · 03-20-2008, 05:39 PM

wow great articles! i loved what christian said about him.
dang i cannot wait to see his performance

**Jenn** · 03-20-2008, 07:17 PM

Great great interviews with Christopher and Christian! And great to hear that Christopher didn't have to change much!

-Kirstiiie- · 03-21-2008, 02:31 AM

Im excited for the movie! It looks scary but awsome!

Purple Nurple · 03-21-2008, 06:08 AM

Great interviews and thanks for posting! I love what Christian Bale said about Heath.

wingster · 03-21-2008, 07:22 AM

Nolan: Ledger was proud of Joker portrayal - UPI.com

Quote:

"It was tremendously emotional, right when he passed, having to go back in and look at him every day," Nolan told MTV.com. "But the truth is, I feel very lucky to have something productive to do, to have a performance that he was very, very proud of, and that he had entrusted to me to finish."

Nolan said Ledger had many unique, specific ideas for his portrayal of the iconic villain.

**Shnicky** · 03-22-2008, 11:46 PM

It's going to be hard for a lot of people to watch him on this movie and not feel bad for his passing. Such a great actor should have more movies.

hottlegs6 · 03-24-2008, 02:53 PM

yeah it will definitely be weird to watch this...but honestly what a great way to honor him this summer, with what everyone is saying will be one of his greatest performances ever. it will be pretty cool i think

**only dreaming** · 03-25-2008, 02:18 AM

I thik pretty much everyone who watches it will be affected, it will be hard not to be especially if his performance is as fantastic as everyone describes it.