Heath Ledger Tried to Sabotage The Dark Knight? - Blu-ray Forum

GreenScar · 06-30-2009, 11:57 PM

Thought that would get your attention...

Vanity Fair has a cover story about Ledger in which I found this:

Quote:

• Ledger’s friend and agent, Steven Alexander, tells Biskind that Heath “was always hesitant to be in a summer blockbuster, with the dolls and action figures and everything else that comes with one of those movies. He was afraid it would define him and limit his choices.” According to friends of Ledger’s, one of the reasons he agreed to do Dark Knight was that the unusually long shoot would give him an excuse to turn down other offers.

Alexander tells Biskind that Ledger had a pay-or-play deal on The Dark Knight—meaning he’d get compensated no matter what—so he felt he had the freedom to do whatever he wanted as the Joker. According to Pecorini, Ledger hoped his performance would be so far-out he’d be fired, and thus become the beneficiary of a lengthy, paid vacation.

“He was ready to bust out of the gate, but he didn’t want to step on the gas and become something that he didn’t want to become: a matinee idol,” says Alexander. “He was a private person, and he didn’t want to share his personal history with the press. It just wasn’t up for sale. That’s part of the reason he initially tore down his career. He wasn’t motivated by money or stardom, but by the respect of his peers, and for people to walk out of a movie theater after they’d seen something that he’d worked on and say, ‘Wow, he really disappeared into that character.’ He was striving to become an ‘illusionist,’ as he called it, able to create characters that weren’t there.”

What started as an idea of possibly throwing the performance we ended up with one of the greatest performances in cinema history IMO.

Click the pic to see more of the preview from Vanity Fair:

STARSCREAM · 06-30-2009, 11:58 PM

Ummmm, WOW.

slee915 · 07-01-2009, 12:03 AM

I don't know, not sure if I believe it.

MCT · 07-01-2009, 12:04 AM

awesome read.....seems Heath's last days were filled with irony. It's true that he disappeared into that role. I remember the first time seeing the movie, I very nearly truly believed the Joker could be a real person living in our world. That's just a credit to Heath's (non?) performance. R.I.P.

SatinKzo · 07-01-2009, 12:07 AM

hmmm. makes me wonder, but if true, really calls into question his character as a person IMO. So basically he wanted to get paid for doing nothing (don't we all), but honestly we'll never really know the truth.

donaldheil · 07-01-2009, 12:13 AM

Well, once they're gone, people begin to say that they said this and that. But they're not here anymore to clarify if they really said that.

So no, I don't believe this. We didn't know it directly from Ledger.

Moreover, it sounds a so unprofessional thing to do, it's not like him.

slee915 · 07-01-2009, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donaldheil

Well, once they're gone, people begin to say that they said this and that. But they're not here anymore to clarify if they really said that.

So no, I don't believe this. We didn't know it directly from Ledger.

Moreover, it sounds a so unprofessional thing to do, it's not like him.

I agree with you on this 100%. well said.

SquidPuppet · 07-01-2009, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenScar

Thought that would get your attention...

]

LOL....and wow. We'll never know...so I chose denial.

PH3AR · 07-01-2009, 12:24 AM

Wow, it soounds so out there that it may be true

Mike53421 · 07-01-2009, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PH3AR

Wow, it soounds so out there that it may be true

Yup, and sadly we won't get his true opinion on what his intentions were. Coincidently was about to pop in TDK.

GLaDOS · 07-01-2009, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donaldheil

Well, once they're gone, people begin to say that they said this and that. But they're not here anymore to clarify if they really said that.

So no, I don't believe this. We didn't know it directly from Ledger.

Moreover, it sounds a so unprofessional thing to do, it's not like him.

Perhaps it's just a rumor, since it wasn't expressed by Ledger himself. I mean, the boy's dead and he got nothing else to say. But then again, he has people.

Mikey

Petra_Kalbrain · 07-01-2009, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PH3AR

Wow, it soounds so out there that it may be true

Yup... I could believe it! The man never took roles that were of this Blockbuster nature. He has always stood out as a very strong performer who should be getting more work. And I've always thought that he was strong enough and well respected enough to actually be getting plenty of offers. Like the article says, I'd believe that he was very picky about "sabotaging" his own success by limiting himself in the roles he chose. Therefore, I can see where the article actually has a sliver's possibility of truth to it.

HOWEVER... I also believe that even if he signed on with the intent of being dismissed from the project, his respect for his fellow artists once the project began overtook his conscience and made him do the right thing in the end and follow through so as not to disrespect them.

pEgLeG · 07-01-2009, 01:03 AM

Sounds like something that could be true.

CAB · 07-01-2009, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pEgLeG

Sounds like something that could be true.

Or like someone who can't pick up on a joke.

pEgLeG · 07-01-2009, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CAB

Or like someone who can't pick up on a joke.

No I think Heath was a quick-witted guy.

Batman1980 · 07-01-2009, 01:15 AM

Heath poured everything he had into that role and I will always remember him for it. A true icon(to me) of excellence in acting and dedication to craft. At least he went out with an Oscar.

CAB · 07-01-2009, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pEgLeG

No I think Heath was a quick-witted guy.

Sorry, I meant the other guy. The one telling the story.

pEgLeG · 07-01-2009, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CAB

Sorry, I meant the other guy. The one telling the story.

A definite possibility as well.

cajmoyper · 07-01-2009, 01:24 AM

It's hard to believe that an Oscar-winning performance was accidental. Idk.

Batman1980 · 07-01-2009, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cajmoyper

It's hard to believe that an Oscar-winning performance was accidental. Idk.

Why is that hard to believe? Excellence isn't always on purpose but in this case it was.

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06-30-2009, 11:58 PM	#2
STARSCREAM Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Dagobah Blu-ray collection:148 Trading Score:67	Ummmm, WOW.

07-01-2009, 12:03 AM	#3
slee915 Senior Member Member since:May 2007 4K collection:20 Blu-ray collection:985 Blu-ray reviews:10	I don't know, not sure if I believe it.

07-01-2009, 12:04 AM	#4
MCT Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Nov 2008 Blu-ray collection:499 Blu-ray reviews: 8 Trading Score:1	awesome read.....seems Heath's last days were filled with irony. It's true that he disappeared into that role. I remember the first time seeing the movie, I very nearly truly believed the Joker could be a real person living in our world. That's just a credit to Heath's (non?) performance. R.I.P.

07-01-2009, 12:07 AM	#5
SatinKzo Senior Member Member since:Jul 2008 Home Theater Gallery:4 Trading Score:131	hmmm. makes me wonder, but if true, really calls into question his character as a person IMO. So basically he wanted to get paid for doing nothing (don't we all), but honestly we'll never really know the truth.

07-01-2009, 12:13 AM	#6
donaldheil Active Member Top contributor Member since:Nov 2007 Blu-ray collection:539 Blu-ray reviews: 58	Well, once they're gone, people begin to say that they said this and that. But they're not here anymore to clarify if they really said that. So no, I don't believe this. We didn't know it directly from Ledger. Moreover, it sounds a so unprofessional thing to do, it's not like him.

07-01-2009, 12:24 AM	#9
PH3AR Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Jan 2009 Location:Dover, Pennsylvania PSN:WORKINtheCORNER Home Theater Gallery:9 Blu-ray collection:325 Blu-ray reviews:2	Wow, it soounds so out there that it may be true

07-01-2009, 01:03 AM	#13
pEgLeG Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Oct 2008 Location:Uranus Home Theater Gallery:1 4K collection:100 Blu-ray collection:795 DVD collection:46 iTunes collection:9 Trading Score:2	Sounds like something that could be true.

07-01-2009, 01:15 AM	#16
Batman1980 Blu-ray Jedi Member since:Feb 2009 Location:District 13 Home Theater Gallery:8 4K collection:146 Blu-ray collection:394 DVD collection:57 Blu-ray reviews:22 Trading Score:48	Heath poured everything he had into that role and I will always remember him for it. A true icon(to me) of excellence in acting and dedication to craft. At least he went out with an Oscar.

07-01-2009, 01:24 AM	#19
cajmoyper Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Jun 2007 Location:San Antonio, TX Home Theater Gallery:8 Blu-ray collection:182	It's hard to believe that an Oscar-winning performance was accidental. Idk.

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