Ledger Wanted Out of 'Dark Knight' Role, Source Says
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Newsstand
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While the world mourns the loss of Michael Jackson, Vanity Fair has cooked up a somewhat controversial (and fairly random) look back at Heath Ledger's final days, with quotes from his agent, his vocal coach, director Terry Gilliam and Doctor Parnassus cinematographer Nicola Pecorini. The article, published in part on Vanity Fair's website, is broken into different paragraphs with titles like "How chronic insomnia may have led to his death" and "How his relationship failed." Did the world -- not to mention Ledger's fans, friends and family -- really need all these old wounds dug up and scraped for a little extra attention? Probably not.
Of all the quotes, the most fascinating seem to be the ones which talk about The Dark Knight, and how Ledger's pay-or-play deal allowed him to do whatever he wanted with the role of Joker seeing as he was to still receive a paycheck regardless of whether he remained in the movie. According to Pecorini, Ledger was actually hoping his performance was way too out there and that he'd get fired, allowing him to take a nice, long paid vacation. Ledger's agent, Steven Alexander, sort of backs up the statement with this one about the actor's attitude toward big summer movies, saying he "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. He was afraid it would define him and limit his choices."
The article also delves into Ledger's rampant drug use, eventual sobriety and just how rough his break-up with Michelle Williams was. It also links off to a 2000 photo spread featuring the actor in some, um, interesting poses. Definitely an odd piece, and I'm sure some will be critical of Vanity Fair for running it. Check it out over here and let us know what you think.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-30-2009 @ 12:28PM
Eric said...
If he was alive today. I am sure his role in the Dark Knight would not define or limit his choices, after winning the Oscar he would have been able to get any kind of work he wanted.
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6-30-2009 @ 7:41PM
Robin said...
He would not have won the Oscar had he not died.
6-30-2009 @ 10:33PM
Wayne said...
Yes, he would have. The only other worthy performance was Robert Downey Jr.'s in "Tropic Thunder" and the Academy wasn't going to award a comedy.
Ledger should have won for "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Dark Knight". Had he won the first, the second might have been less of a slam dunk.
6-30-2009 @ 2:07PM
Reed said...
Yeah, actors lock themselves in hotel rooms, perfecting the character, in order to get fired.
Reply
6-30-2009 @ 2:15PM
Kurt Munro said...
"According to Pecorini, Ledger was actually hoping his performance was way too out there and that he'd get fired"
Sounds like bullcrap.
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6-30-2009 @ 2:35PM
Stan Winsome said...
Yeah that's total BS- he sank himself into the role with tons of research and gave it his all. Let's not rewrite history to sell magazines- that never happens.
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6-30-2009 @ 4:03PM
Wurtzel said...
It's disgusting, especially coming from a supposedly "serious" magazine. I don't think they need all this crap to sell more magazines
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7-01-2009 @ 4:11PM
FTW said...
Vanity Fair should go the way of VIBE!
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6-30-2009 @ 5:53PM
Greg said...
There were reports that he wasn't sleeping, doing his research for the Dark Knight, reading key Joker comics, rehearsing the way some marionettes eyes and tongues move, which you can see in his facial ticks in the Dark Knight. You do hear sometimes actors hating the roles like these, Johnny Depp comes to mind with 21 Jump Street, he hated that show but without it his career wouldn't have started. It's amazing, over a year since he died and almost a year since Dark Knight came out and the media still won't let the poor guy rest in peace.
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6-30-2009 @ 7:12PM
Christian M. Howell said...
I can only say that the power of the 3rd Estate is to provoke thought and reveal all sides of a story.
Hopefully impartially.
Reply
6-30-2009 @ 10:13PM
Mr. R said...
He did a pretty good job messing up his role...
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