Christian Bale on Heath Ledger's punk Joker, Batman's new duds and his 'Terminator' role

"Dark Knight" star Christian Bale talks with the Dish Rag about working with an "uncompromising" Heath Ledger, who brought an anarchic, "Clockwork Orange" edge to the classic character the Joker. And Christian also spills the beans on Batman's new suit (a movable neck?) and his upcoming role as John Connor in the new "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins."

DR: What was it like working with Heath Ledger?

CB: There was a great dynamic. You know, the Joker is just gleeful to come up against Batman, because everyone else has been too easy. He’s an intelligent psychopath. He’s bent on chaos and destruction.  And if that means self-destruction, so be it. It’s impossible to leverage him, because he’s not looking for anything but living in the moment, living in that anarchy.

He’s completely uncompromising, as is Batman, but Batman does have this one rule of he will not kill. But he’s in conflict often with himself about how far and how violent he can be because he does embrace violence to an extreme degree and he has to counter that with the altruism of do-good, inherited philanthropy of his parents. But absolutely, the Joker comes closer than anybody has to provoking Batman to break that one rule.

DR: Did you have any idea of how Heath Ledger was going to portray the Joker?

CB: Well, I knew the tone of Chris Nolan’s Gotham was one that we never wanted to have any caricatures. We never wanted to have the actor kind of peeking through and winking at the audience.  And showing, "Hey, what a great time I’m having playing this funny, larger than life character."

We wanted to stay serious and dramatic with each of the portrayals of every single character. Heath was wonderful with that. He completely immersed himself and stayed under. When he was the Joker he was the Joker throughout, absolute commitment to that. And he’s portrayed him in a way that hasn’t been portrayed before.  He has this kind of anarchic, punk, “Clockwork Orange” approach to it.

He done such a damn good job that if Chris decides to make a third movie, he set himself a real challenge of how do you up the ante with any villain after Heath’s Joker.

DR: What was the first scene you shot with him?

CB: "The first scene we shot was in the interrogation room with the two of us. That was great because we were allowed to be by ourselves, without any crew inside the room. It was just the two of us, inside there with just mirrors, all the way around us. Everywhere we looked, there were these two freaks, sitting at a table, eyeballing each other.

I felt that I was seeing, in Heath, somebody who got the same enjoyment from acting that I do, and just recognized the ridiculousness of what we do as grown men, pretending to be other people, but loving that ridiculousness and loving the job all the more for that, and taking it all the more seriously, precisely because of that, and staying in character whilst we were inside of the garb. It was wonderful.

You get to see, clearly, what an opponent this is going to be, when Batman beats the Joker and recognizes that, with every punch that he’s landing, the Joker’s smile is getting bigger and bigger. How are you going to defeat somebody whose absolute nirvana would be being destroyed himself??

To read more about the batsuit and "Terminator Salvation," go to the jump...

DR: Did the new batsuit make shooting this film easier?

CB: It was much more comfortable. It was heavier, but it was actually much more comfortable. There’s, like, 110 parts to this one, there was 103 to the original. And I could move my head. It was more mobile. For the Casey fighting method that we used, the martial art, the suit actually was compatible for that.

Where in the first one, I was having to fight against the suit in order to be able to do the fight sequences. In every way it was more advanced. And I think also more in keeping with images that the military have of future soldiers and their gear.

DR: So the scene where Morgan Freeman gives Bruce Wayne a better bat suit is art imitating life?

CB: Yes. Exactly, yeah. Obviously, the suit has to evolve. But there were certain personal requests that I’d made and I know Chris had been very adamant about we’ve got to be able to move the head, you know? Batman has never moved his head in any of the movies.

DR: What drew you to play John Connor in another classic film franchise, the new "Terminator Salvation"?

CB:  In a similar fashion that “Batman Begins” revitalized and reinvented, even though with “Terminator Salvation” we are, of course, continuing a mythology, we’re not ignoring a mythology as we did with Batman.

I see there being great potential for reinvention and revitalization of the mythology of it. And that’s when I’m aiming to do. That’s what I feel like our responsibility is; otherwise there’s no point in making it.

More: Aaron Eckhart on "Dark Knight" scenes, remembering Heath Ledger

Photos: Top, Christian Bale at the premiere of "Rescue Dawn" in 2007. WireImage

Insert, Heath Ledger in Joker makeup, courtesy of Warner Bros.

Bottom, Batman Christian Bale and another superhero, Superman Brandon Routh, backstage at the 2006 Kids Choice Awards.
WireImage

Comments

[amanda]

The picture with Brandon Routh is actually the 2006 MTV Movie Awards, Bale won for Best Hero, Routh presented the award to him.

[David]

wow, batman and superman in one picture! sigh! swooooon....

[Dais]

BATMAN BEGINS with Christian Bale beats ALL Batman movies. Add the wonderful CASTING of famous actors...WOW!

[brucewayneIII]

Interesting format. Gonna miss Ledger.

[Fernanda Becker]

This movie was truly the best movie I have ever watched, everyone should watch it!
Heath Ledger was so amazing, I've never seen an actor play such a role like that before in my life.
And Christian Bale as Batman was wonderful as always...
they are the dynamic duo and when The Joker says "You complete me" I really know that he meant that.
GO WATCH IT!!!

[wendy]

maggie G was mis cast someone else who was a true beauty should have won the part!! that was the flaw in the movie.when the joker says hello beautiful!! it was a joke- you guys had her look like a shlumpy librarian!!

[Jason David Cook]

It's the Keysi fighting method (http://www.keysikfm.com/), by the way, not the "Casey" fighting method. Pprobably just a transcription mistake, otherwise great read, nicely done.

[Ashley]

This movie was absoloutly amazing especially Heath Ledger as the Joker. Who knew he could play such a big part. Christian Bale is remarble also I don't know how else that could play another Batman
GO SEE THE MOVIE trust me it's awesome!!

[natalie jaimez]

christian bale and heath ledger are 2 of da BEST nd HOTTEST Actors which makes dis movie better then it already is!!!!I LUV U CHRISTIAN BALE!!!

[ukie]

I LOVE YOU CHRISTIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN BAAAAAAAAAAAALEEEEEEEEE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOUUU

[UncompromisingCritic]

A good movie - especially for the superhero genre - but far from great. Bale was stale. I'm not being sentimental either when I say it doesn't make me forget Tim Burton's first Batman movie. That stands as a standalone classic in the superhero genre.

Not to take cheap shot at dead men but someone explain to me how Heath Ledger was great? It was good but how was it "great" in the history of film? Because he acted disturbed and psycho?

You want to talk about great performances of disturbed characters? Lon Chaney was "great" in The Unknown. James Dean was "great" as Jeb Rink in Giant. DeNiro was "great" in Taxi Driver (and everything else). Pacino was "great" in Dog Day Afternoon. Nicholson was "great" in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Anthony Perkins was "great" in Psycho.

It's overhype and exaggeration to put Ledger's Joker in their company.

Sorry, but I think most people who have a deeper appreciation of films through history would agree. Those who don't are only seeing it from the point of recent pop-culture and should see those other movies.