Mumbai, Sep 3 — Actress-filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal has spoken about her memories of working on The Dark Knight and late superstar Heath Ledger’s extraordinary performance as the Joker.
Maggie was on The Drew Barrymore Show, where she spoke about the late star’s ability to command attention in a massive production. She went on to speak about Ledger’s close friendship with her brother, Jake Gyllenhaal, whom he had worked with in the blockbuster “Brokeback Mountain”.
Barrymore asked Maggie: “What was it like to make that film? That is such an epic, cinematic masterpiece. With some of the greatest performances and just a very beloved time capsule of perfect, perfect filmmaking.”
To which, Maggie said: “The thing about The Dark Knight is it really, well, the scope was massive. The other thing I want to say about that movie is like, it's hard to act well in a huge movie. Because so many other things are, like, take precedent.”
She added: “VFX, tons of extras. I don't know, just the scope. And Heath Ledger just took the space he needed and was incredible in that movie. And everybody knew it. I remember I remember Peter, my husband, and Michelle and Heath, and we both had babies who were about the same age.”
“And Peter said, oh, wow, the Joker, that's a big deal, taking that on. And he said, I have an idea.”
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan.
The plot follows the vigilante Batman, police lieutenant James Gordon, and district attorney Harvey Dent, who form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City. Their efforts are derailed by the Joker, an anarchistic mastermind who seeks to test how far Batman will go to save the city from chaos.
Barrymore spoke about seeing Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath together.
“Yeah, broke back. And they had done ‘Brokeback Mountain’. and they were dear friends. And I saw them out…. And I remember hanging out with them and being so happy to be around them and seeing what a true friendship they really had. But it wasn't the movie.”
Maggie said: “You can't make a movie like Brokeback Mountain and not make a connection, I don't think.”
Barrymore went on to share that she agrees completely.
Brokeback Mountain released in 2005. The independent neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee was adapted from the 1997 short story by Annie Proulx. The film stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams.
Its plot depicts the complex romantic relationship between two American cowboys, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, in the American West from 1963 to 1983.