Ledger's Reaction to Dark Knight
Scenes screened for late actor before his death.
by Phil Pirrello
US, January 20, 2009 - With all signs pointing to late actor Heath Ledger as the sure-bet for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and as fans of The Dark Knight are still discussing his inspired portrayal of Joker, it is comforting to know that the actor saw some of his groundbreaking work before he died.
IMDB.com reports that The Dark Knight producer Charles Roven set up a screening for Ledger while in London, working on an edit of the film director Christopher Nolan had prepared for IMAX theatres. Ledger viewed the film's opening sequence in the IMAX format, watching right up to his character's iconic reveal.
"I showed Heath the first six minutes, the bank heist sequence, on an IMAX screen in London," Roven remembers. "I said, 'You have to see this...'"
- Warner Bros.Ledger, seen here in the scene he screened, died before a final cut was completed.The producer further recalls that the footage "just blew [Ledger's] mind." "He was so thrilled," Roven continued, "he was just laughing. He said, 'I want to see it again.'"
The producer screened the footage again, and that was the last time he saw the actor.
Unfortunately, Ledger did not get to see a final cut of the film before his death last year from an accidental overdose.
Scenes screened for late actor before his death.
by Phil Pirrello
US, January 20, 2009 - With all signs pointing to late actor Heath Ledger as the sure-bet for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and as fans of The Dark Knight are still discussing his inspired portrayal of Joker, it is comforting to know that the actor saw some of his groundbreaking work before he died.
IMDB.com reports that The Dark Knight producer Charles Roven set up a screening for Ledger while in London, working on an edit of the film director Christopher Nolan had prepared for IMAX theatres. Ledger viewed the film's opening sequence in the IMAX format, watching right up to his character's iconic reveal.
"I showed Heath the first six minutes, the bank heist sequence, on an IMAX screen in London," Roven remembers. "I said, 'You have to see this...'"
- Warner Bros.Ledger, seen here in the scene he screened, died before a final cut was completed.The producer further recalls that the footage "just blew [Ledger's] mind." "He was so thrilled," Roven continued, "he was just laughing. He said, 'I want to see it again.'"
The producer screened the footage again, and that was the last time he saw the actor.
Unfortunately, Ledger did not get to see a final cut of the film before his death last year from an accidental overdose.
