Heath Ledger's Preparation for Joker Revealed

Late actor Heath Ledger who played the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight was extremely dedicated in his portrayal. He prepared for the role by reading comics and watching videos to familiarise himself with the character. The actor also maintained a diary for his preparation.

In a scene from the german documentary shows Heath’s father Kim going through the diary titled The Joker. He said, “He pretty well locked himself up in a hotel, in his apartment, for a month or so, to sort of galvanize the upcoming character in his own mind. That was typical of Heath on any movie. He would certainly immerse himself in the upcoming character. I think this was just a whole new level”.

The diary contains images of playing cards, scenes from Batman comics, photos of hyenas, and stills of Alex DeLearge from A Clockwork Orange. On a page with clippings from a clockwork orange, the word “Chaos” is written on top highlighted in green. Heath passed away at the age of 28 in 2008.