Heath Ledger’s Role As The Joker Has Oscar Written All Over It
Heath Ledger and The Dark Knight have created Oscar buzz. Ledger, who played the Joker, “Raised the bar,” according to Dark Knight co-star Christian Bale. Bale was not the only cast member to praise Ledger’s performance and suggest the idea of a posthumous Oscar.
Gary Oldman said at a press event over the weekend, “Heath had this frequency none of us could hear. The Academy tends to overlook movies like this, but this acting is so good it’s going to be very hard for them to avoid it.”
Ledger is getting praise from reviewers across the board. Rolling Stone magazine reviewer Peter Travers said, “I can only speak superlatives of Ledger, who is mad-crazy-blazing brilliant as the Joker. Miles from Jack Nicholson’s broadly funny take on the role in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, Ledger takes the role to the shadows, where even what’s comic is hardly a relief.”
Travers added, “If there’s a movement to get him the first posthumous Oscar since Peter Finch… sign me up.” Film critic Emanuel Levy also said, “[The Dark Knight] nothing short of brilliant.” Ledger “should receive a posthumous Oscar nomination, if not the award itself,” he continued.
We agree! Ledger’s intensity and commitment on the set was enough to convince us of an Oscar!