The Dark Knight released in 2008. The cinema buffs will always remember the brutal rivalry between the Batman and the Joker played by Christian Bale & Heath Ledger respectively. Though there were numerous scenes, the iconic interrogation scene remains as one of the all-time greatest superhero movie conflicts.
Heath Ledger’s Joker has become a cult character. His portrayal of the Joker is definitive and will remain unchallenged for years to come. The method actor Heath Ledger became known for his intense immersion into the character’s (he played) and nothing exemplifies it than the intense interrogation scene from the Dark Knight.
Christopher Nolan, who directed the movie reveals that the interrogation scene was the central part of the movie. The scene provides the texture and sets the tone for the movie.
On Heath’s Birthday, let’s revisit the unforgettable interrogation scene through the eyes of Christian Nolan, who shares why the scene was one of the first sequences shot for the film.
For the fans of the actor, check 15 facts about Heath Ledger to know more about him.
“The scene that is so important and so central to me is the interrogation scene between Batman and the Joker in the film. When we were writing the script, that was always one of the central set pieces that we wanted to crack.”
“On the set, we shot it fairly early on. It was actually one of the first things that Heath had to do as the Joker. He told me he was actually pretty excited to tear off a big chunk early on, really get one of the Joker’s key scenes up in the first three weeks of a seven-month shoot. He and I both liked the idea of just diving in, as did Christian.”
“The scene starts between Gary Oldman and Heath with the lights out, and [director of photography] Wally Pfister literally just lit the scene with the desk lamp, the table lamp, and nothing else.”
“And then when the lights come on, Batman is revealed, and the rest of the scene plays out with a massive overexposure.”
“Wally overexposed like five stops, I want to say, and then printed it down to bring some of the color back in. But it’s this incredibly intense overhead light which let us move in any direction. We had a handheld camera and shot however we wanted, be very spontaneous.”
“It was a great set built into a location. It had all of the advantages of feeling that we were in a real place.”
“Nathan Crowley, the production designer, built these great mirrors and this long, tiled room that I really loved the look of; it had the feeling almost of an abattoir or something.”
“That all fed into the brutality of the scene. We wanted to be very edgy, very brutal.”
