Before Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix was offered the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, but the actor turned it down because…

Heath Ledger played the unsurpassed role of the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. But did you know that Joaquin Phoenix, not the late actor, was the first choice for the role? Read on to find out why he turned down the golden offer.

Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix as Joker in The Dark Knight and Joker.

The late actor Heath Ledger played the unforgettable role of Agent of Chaos Joker in Christopher Nolan’s cult blockbuster The Dark Knight. Even years after the 2008 blockbuster, Heath’s portrayal of the Joker is still considered the best portrayal of the iconic DC Comics villain. While we can’t imagine anyone but Ledger, it’s now been revealed that he wasn’t the first choice for the role.

Joaquin Phoenix, who played the Joker in his standalone film (2019) and its sequel Joker: Follies à Two (2024), was the original choice for The Dark Knight. Joaquin himself made this great discovery in an interview. While talking to Rick Rubin at Tetragrammaton. Phoenix said that despite Nolan’s offer, Joaquin didn’t sign up, and he had a reason.

Why did Joaquin turn down The Dark Knight Joker?

Joaquin said: “I remember talking to Chris Nolan about The Dark Knight, but it didn’t happen for whatever reason. I wasn’t ready then. It’s one of those things where it’s like, “What is in me not to do this.” ?’ And it’s not about me, there’s another person who’s going to do something… I can’t imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have Heath Ledger, right?”

In addition, the actor added that after a moment even Nolan realized that he was not the right guy for the role. “I don’t know if Christopher Nolan came to me and said, ‘You’re definitely the man.’ I don’t remember the context of our meeting, but I felt like I shouldn’t, but maybe he also said, “He’s not the guy.”

In case you didn’t understand, Ledger and Phoenix won an Oscar for playing the role of the Joker. Ledger was awarded Best Supporting Actor posthumously. Joaquin won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in The Joker (2019). However, the sequel to this film was declared a box office bomb with overwhelmingly negative reviews.

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