The Reason Behind Heath Ledger’s Joker Signature Move Is More Basic Than You Think | CPT PPP Coverage

Cryptopolytech (CPT) Public Press Pass (PPP)
News of the Day COVERAGE

200000048 – World Newser
•| #People |•| #World |•| #Online |•| #Media |•| #Outlet |

View more Headlines & Breaking News here, as covered by cryptopolytech.com

At this point, we as the audience have known about various acting tricks and methods to get into the role. With almost every hit coming to theatres, actors hurry to explain in detail what went into their characters, and how they made the magic of the cinema come to life. Not only is that knowledge highly appreciated by the actors-to-be, but also by the very curious viewers.

However, not everyone is rushed to reveal all of their secrets. Especially not those which were not supposed to be some big acting method things, but ended up added by an accident.

Perhaps, one of the most interesting (and absolutely unforgettable for the fans) ones is Heath Ledger’s habit to lick his lips as the Joker.

Of course, with or without the lip-licking, Ledger’s portrayal of the villain was so good it sent shivers down the viewers’ spines on multiple occasions throughout the film. However, something about him dragging attention to his bright red clown mouth over and over again just added a whole other level of creepiness.

Well, turns out, that wasn’t ever written in the script. But neither was it an improvisation fueled by the creative vision of an actor himself.

As basic as that is, the reason for Heath Ledger to lick his lips all the time was rather practical: he just had to keep his makeup on.

Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight required Joker to have his signature facial scars, and for that, the Makeup team had to use prosthetics over Heath Ledger’s real face. Although it certainly solidified the look, it often got too loose when he spoke.

To keep it in place and not reshoot everything, the actor had to lick his lips and sneakily push the prosthetic back in place with his tongue.

This might not be the right look for any other role, but for the eccentric clown, there is no tic that would be too much. Besides, thanks to Heath Ledger‘s talent, it looked so natural in the movie that you might even forget that neither Jared Leto ‘s nor Joaquin Phoenix ‘s Jokers are really doing the same thing.

If you are feeling nostalgic and want to revisit your favorite Joker by re-watching The Dark Knight, you can stream the movie on Hulu, MAX, and Amazon Prime Video.