To Leave as the Joker.

It was about 6:30 AM when I was dressing up for work when I heard something from the television in our dining room that caught my attention. It was the news and the words I heard were "…the cause of death is unknown", "he played the role as Joker in the upcoming movie, The Dark Knight." Right then and there, I had an idea of what the news was talking about but I couldn’t believe it so I had to make sure. I immediately logged on to yahoo.com and there it was. On the front page, posted there only 15 minutes ago, it said "Heath Ledger Dies."

I couldn’t believe it. Just when I finally appreciated his skills as an actor, he was taken away. Don’t get me wrong. I totally respected him in his courageous take on his role in "Brokeback Mountain", but I’m really captivated by Method Actors. Artists such as Johnny Depp, Edward Norton, Glen Close and Anthony Hopkins have all proven how deep they can get just to be able to project the perfect interpretation of their characters i.e. Depp’s "Scissorhands" and Hopkin’s "Hannibal". And now Ledger has finally portrayed a character that is found in the level of those roles mentioned; The Joker. 

When I first heard about Ledger being given the role, I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve only known the actor best for his performance in "A Knight’s Tale". I did not doubt him nor was I excited about it. I just had no idea. Then came along the pictures and the statements from his co-stars. The Joker’s appearance was certainly a fresh take on the character and we have Director Christopher Nolan saying that it Ledger’s Joker will surprise us all. Michael Caine, who plays Alfred Pennyworth, claimed that he was so scared of Ledger’s Joker that in one scene, he actually forgot his line. That is saying a lot coming from a veteran like Caine. Then I saw the first teaser of The Dark Knight. It showed nothing but a disintegrating Batman Symbol and audio clips of the dialogues in the film. Then at the end, you can hear the Joker’s laugh. When I heard that laugh, I was ovewhelmed. After hearing that, I somehow knew that this Joker is going to be different and that this is going to be Heath Ledger like we’ve never seen him before. Then by December 2007, the official trailer of the film was released (if you haven’t seen it yet, GO FIND IT!) . When the Joker’s face was first shown in the trailer, it was after he said "…evening commissioner!" and he was sitting in a jail cell. With total honesty, I could say that I had goosebumps all over. His face was so menacing and intriguing which is how the character is supposed to be. I couldn’t wait for July 18, 2008 which was the slated release date of The Dark Knight. I also felt happy for Heath Ledger becauseI could tell that this was the role that would put him on mainstream attention. That he will experience success like never before. The future was looking bright for this actor.

Then along came January 22, 2008. Heath Ledger was found dead. He was 28. It was just too sad. He had so much ahead of him

Since, as of this time, the cause of Ledger’s death is still under investigation, I will not dwell on this subject.

I just know that the world has lost a great artist and a lot of opportunities to enjoy his talent. The only saving grace I could think of is that playing a very iconic character such as the Joker would be an ideal way to give your final performance. God bless Heathcliff Andrew Ledger’s soul and may his memory live on forever. When The Dark Knight hits the theater, I will spare no time to watch it. This is my little way of honoring his legacy.