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Heath Ledger was a perfect example of cinematic brilliance, that truly shined in the work he did in the industry. Born and raised in Australia, the actor shifted to the United States to pursue his acting dreams. While he was able to do just that, his portrayal of Joker inThe Dark Knightreceived a lot of acclaim, including an Academy Award. This would have been the biggest day of his life, sadly the actor passed away just six months before the release of the movie.
But before this movie, he was also a part of another Oscar-nominated movie. However, it was because of this project, that he straightaway rejected presenting an award at the 2007 Oscars.
Jake Gyllenhaal Details Why Heath Ledger Rejected to Present an Oscar
Before his untimely death in 2008,Heath Ledgerwas part of eighteen movies, ranging across diverse genres. Two of these were released posthumously, namelyThe Dark Knightin 2008 andThe Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassusin 2009. Throughout the years his movies have received a lot of acclaim, but out of the lot,Brokeback Mountainwas one movie in which Ledger was showcased in a completely different light.
This neo-western romantic drama was directed by Ang Lee and also featured actorJake Gyllenhaal. Further, it focuses on the romance of Ennis Del Mar (Ledger) and Jack Twist (Gyllenhaal). After its release in 2005, the movie received positive reviews as well as critical acclaim and earned a staggering $178 million on a budget of $14 million viaBox Office Mojo.
While it definitely appealed to the LGBTQ community, in an interview, Gyllenhaal also revealed the reason why Ledger completely refused to attend the 2007 Academy Awards.
“You understand the villainy”: Cristin Milioti’s Remark Hints Matt Reeves Can Nail the Perfect Joker After Heath Ledger
The actor added that the ceremony wanted him to open with a monologue that poked fun at their movie’s same-s-x relationship. He further added viaAnother Man:
I remember they wanted to do an opening for the Academy Awards that year that was sort of joking about it. And Heath refused. I was sort of at the time, ‘Oh, OK … whatever.’ I’m always like, ‘It’s all in good fun.’ And Heath said, ‘It’s not a joke to me — I don’t want to make any jokes about it.
The actor then continued to talk about his co-star and why he was so adamant about not joking around the movie. Gyllenhaal added:
That’s the thing I loved about Heath. He would never joke.Someone wanted to make a joke about the story or whatever, he was like: ‘No. This is about love. Like, that’s it, man. Like, no.
The movie was nominated for a total of eight Oscars that year and managed to win three of them. Both the actors were also nominated but they didn’t win an award. However, while he missed to win one for this movie, he was posthumously awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role of Joker inThe Dark Knightin 2009.
Joaquin Phoenix Was Christopher Nolan’s First Choice for The Dark Knight
In the history of cinema and portrayal of iconic characters, Heath Ledger’s Joker would definitely be the most iconic DC villain. The actor also went to great lengths to completely embody the role, as far as locking himself in a hotel room. Further, with Christopher Nolan leading the way with his direction,The Dark Knightwas a huge commercial success.
The movie was made on a budget of $185 million and grossed more than $1 billion worldwide viaBox Office Mojo. Christian Bale played the Caped Crusader to the best of his abilities, but it was Ledger’s Joker that won everyone over.
But now actorJoaquin Phoenixhas revealed in aninterviewthat he was the first choice of Nolan for the role. But he turned it down and ultimately the role went to Ledger. He said:
I remember I talked to Chris Nolan about The Dark Knight and that didn’t happen for whatever reason. I wasn’t ready then. That’s one of those things where it’s like, ‘What is in me that’s not doing this?’ And it’s not about me.
Phoenix then also added that while he was not ready for the role, he cannot imagine anyone other than Ledger playing the same. He added:
There’s something else. There’s another person who is going to do something… I can’t imagine what it would be if we didn’t have Heath Ledger’s performance in that film, right?
The actor was not able to recall the specifics of his conversation with Nolan. But added that maybe the director himself realized that Phoenix was not the right fit for the role.
Quentin Tarantino is Not the Only One Who Felt Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker 2 Was Unfairly Slandered by Fans and Critics as Hideo Kojima Gives His Honest Review
Interestingly, while he couldn’t play the Joker in 2008, he did play the same role in 2009’s standalone movieJoker, which also bagged him his first Oscar.
you may watchBrokeback Mountainon Max and Apple TV.
Sakshi Singh
Articles Published :1436
Sakshi Singh has written over 1,300 entertainment articles, mostly about Netflix shows and reality TV. She’s spent the last two years covering everything from surprise engagements to shocking eliminations and previously wrote for Essentially Sports in their Netflix Junkie division. A self-proclaimed reality TV addict, Sakshi has watched all 48 seasons of Survivor and never misses a new dating or competition series. She loves watching how strangers meet, fall in love, team up, or betray each other - it’s the mix of strategy and drama that keeps her hooked. When she’s not glued to a reality show, she’s usually watching a crime thriller or tracking the next big streaming hit.
