I came across this little story that is so hard to believe and shocking, I just had to share it here. There are accusations going around that Heath Ledger wasn’t really brilliant playing The Joker in The Dark Knight… but rather he was trying to be so over the top and ridiculous that he’d get fired.
Basically, Ledger had a contract that would pay him the huge salary he got for The Dark Knight even if he got fired. Listen to this:
According to Ledger’s agent Steven Alexander and cinematographer/friend Nicola Pecorini, the actor had a pay-or-play deal on “Knight,” which means that he would be compensated no matter how terrible he ends up being. This gave Ledger the freedom to do what he wanted with The Joker.
But the real decision to take the role was because of the film’s unusually long shoot, which would give Ledger an excuse to turn down other offers. And since he was guaranteed to collect a paycheck, Ledger was hoping that his performance would be so “far-out” that he would end up being fired and become the beneficiary of a lengthy, paid vacation.
His agent added that while Ledger wanted to get paid, he didn’t want to be part of the massive blockbuster that “The Dark Knight” turned out to be. “[Ledger] 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,” Alexander explained. “He was afraid it would define him and limit his choices.”
WHAT!?!?! Seriously?!?!?!
I honestly don’t know what to think about this. Worst Previews is citing Vanity Fair as the source, which is no rag.
So let’s wait for more to come out about this odd situation… but let me ask you this… if this is true… would it change how you saw his performance in the movie?
And let me ALSO ask you this… if you don’t believe the story… are you thinking Vanity Fair is lying… or is Ledger’s agent lying?
