Despite the preliminary uproar that erupted as being cast in The Dark Knight, when Heath Ledger was announced, his turn as the Joker earned him accolades from audiences and critics alike. As Ledger had gigantic clown shoes to fulfill, this was no small accomplishment. Previously, the comic book character was portrayed on screen by renowned actors like Jack Nicholson and Cesar Romero, both of whom were heavily associated with the type at the moment.
As a way to transform into his unique version of Joker, Ledger pushed himself physically and emotionally beyond he ever had for a role. Ledger made every attempt to set his performance apart from his predecessors by isolating himself for over a month and becoming involved in cosmetics and wardrobe decisions for the personality. This effort took a toll upon the celebrity, leaving him exhausted and sleep-deprived.
In his preparation for the Joker, ​Heath Ledger’s insomnia increased
Heath Ledger had a history of sleep issues. He is said to be struggling with a racing mind for a long time before he decided to work as the Joker. But, his chronic insomnia became much more prevalent after filming The Dark Knight. His difficulty sleeping was summed up through a New York Times profile in 2007, while the movie was in its production. Heath explained that the role of Joker was a physically and emotionally draining as the character was just a psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy.
While enjoying the Joker ​Heath Ledger isolated himself
Since Heath Ledger wanted his performance of Joker to be unique from any prior models that played this role i.e. Jack Nicholson and Cesar Romero, he isolated himself at a London hotel for six weeks to be able to cultivate a new character. It was during this period that Ledger studied the sources of inspiration that Nolan had not provided him. He also began writing and gluing pictures to the diary that would become the “Joker Diary,” which he would bring on a place to leaf through to go into personality.
​He became involved in cosmetics and prop choices for the Joker
The Dark Knight supervisor Conor O’Sullivan said Heath Ledger became heavily involved with the painting of the own face. Not many celebrities are worried about the costumes or props their character use. Cosmetics and Ledger artist John Caglione gravitated towards a Francis Bacon painting that Nolan had advocated as inspiration to get the Joker’s makeup. Nolan went into detail regarding a makeup design that helped flesh out Ledger’s Joker character. There was a Francis Bacon spin to his face. The rust in the feel of the appearance is grubby. One can even imagine the smell of the character.
Ledger was engaged in everything from the wardrobe, prop departments, and dealing with makeup choices with Caglione. He even worked together with The Dark Knight costume designer Lindy Hemming while choosing the chaotic outfit. He also selected the Joker’s signature weapon for this role.
​Heath Ledger pushed himself to his limits for the character of Joker
Ledger’s dad went into more detail about how far his child went to get ready for the Dark Knight. He self-locked his own self in a room for a month to incite the upcoming character in his own mind. That has been typical of Heath Ledger in any movie. He’d likely immerse himself into the personality. Even though Ledger was an actor who had already sunk his teeth to challenging roles like Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain, he pushed himself further when getting into character for the Joker.
