Michael Jai White Reveals Experience With Heath Ledger On ‘The Dark Knight’

Michael Jai White talked about his experience on the set of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight with the late Heath Ledger.

Heath Ledger’s Joker performance in The Dark Knight is regarded as one of the greatest performances of all time. Unfortunately, Heath Ledger notably passed away before the release of the film. Stories have been floating around for years about how seriously Heath Ledger took the Joker role and even wrote a diary to prep him for the role. However, Michael Jai White, who played Gambol in the film, talked to the Collider Live crew and said The Dark Knight set was calm and relaxed:

“Heath Ledger was having a ball. We were giving him a wide berth and not bothering him, but he was the one initiating conversations and we were doing magic tricks and all kinds of silly things. We would hold up the camera with us just trading jokes, and then when we were done, we would get to shooting. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a more relaxed stage.

He was so incredibly chill. The first day he comes in, we shoot half the day and he’s in full make up, cameras beside him and he’s talking to the boardroom. We break for lunch, I ask the director ‘So, what are we shooting after lunch?’ and he says, ‘We are going to finish up this side of the room.'”

Michael Jai White continued to tell the story saying:

“‘So you mean to tell me that  Heath has been in hours of make up and he’s not going to be on camera anytime today?’ and he said yeah. And I was like wow, he did that for us. That’s for real. And this is coming from the guy who played Spawn…hell no. No way would I do that. I will be in t-shirts and jeans if I don’t have to be marinating in my own juices.”

Michael Jai White also responded to the stories that Heath Ledger’s Joker performance is what led to his passing:

“That drives me up a wall. Because people want to write the story that this dark character consumed him. That’s people’s imagination. No, not at all. This dude had fun. You can see his playful character because of that scene when he comes out of the examination room and he does the hand sanatizer…you know he’s playing. You know he just did that for a goof. He’s having a ball. He’s modulating his voice. He is even asking us ‘what did you think?’ …And the truth of the matter is he passed away when he was doing The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, it wasn’t even this movie. You know how much longer that was?”

You can watch the full Michael Jai White interview about The Dark Knight below:

What are your thoughts on Michael Jai White’s comments? Is Heath Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight still the greatest ever in a comic book film?

The Dark Knight Trilogy is set to return to IMAX theaters in 70mm format for Batman’s 80th anniversary. The re-release will take place in Hollywood, New York City, San Francisco, Toronto, and Indianapolis.

Tickets for all five events will so sale starting Wednesday, March 13, at 9 a.m. Fans who purchase tickets for all three films will receive a lanyard and a special The Dark Knight Trilogy collectible.

Source: Collider Live