Sir Michael Caine has recalled his experience working with the late Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, who tragically died from an accidental overdose at the age of just 28 in 2008. The legendary actor, who played butler Alfred Pennyworth opposite Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne in the blockbuster, opened up about the difficulty of doing the press tour following Ledger’s tragic death. Heath received a posthumous Academy Award for his performance as the iconic Joker villain.
Caine admitted the whole cast and crew of the film were rooting for him to get an Oscar even before his death. Writing via NME, the 92-year-old said: “Heath was only 28 when he passed away. I hadn’t even made Zulu when I was that age. You think of what he might have gone on to achieve; it’s just heartbreaking.”
In his memoir Don’t Look Back, You’ll Trip Over, he wrote: “We were all terribly shocked, and it made doing the publicity for The Dark Knight that summer much more intense because all the journalists wanted to talk about his death. Even though his career was cut short so soon, he’ll be remembered as a great actor, I believe.”
Speaking about Heath’s transformation into the iconic villain, Michael confessed: “And that was Heath’s version of the character: the smeared make-up, the weird hair, the strange voice. It was chilling. Absolutely floored me the first time I saw him in action — I was terrified!
“He was a lovely guy, very gentle and unassuming. I wondered how he was going to play the Joker, especially as Jack Nicholson’s take had been so iconic.
“Brilliantly, Heath ramped up the character’s psychotic side rather than going for one-liners. His Joker was deeply, deeply warped and damaged, though you never find out exactly why, or what he’s really looking for.”
Michael also reflected on Heath’s close bond with lead actor Christian Bale, adding: “He and Christian [Bale] were good friends and always having fun together. And then he was transformed into this scheming monster, driving a whole city towards mayhem.
“Looking back, I think Heath’s excellence made all of us raise our game.”