CinemaJoaquin Phoenix reveals that he almost played the Joker in Nolan’s film, but ‘wasn’t prepared’Phoenix and Christopher Nolan talked about the role that ended up going to Heath Ledger today at 11:12

Joaquin Phoenix could have been the Joker in Batman: The Dark Knight (2008), directed by Christopher Nolan. In an interview with Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin (via Variety), the actor revealed that he even talked about the role with the director.

“I remember talking to Chris Nolan on The Dark Knightand that didn’t happen, for some reason”, he recalled Phoenix. “I wasn’t ready at the time.”

“I can’t imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have Heath Ledger in that film”, he confessed.

Phoenix he added: “I don’t know if Christopher Nolan came to me saying, ‘You’re definitely the right person.’ I can’t remember the context of how we met, but I know we met. My feeling was that I shouldn’t do it, but maybe he also thought, ‘He’s not the guy’.”

Ledger posthumously won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Joker. Already Phoenixwho starred Joker (2019), from Todd Phillipsreceived the Oscar for Best Actor.

Nolan’s influence on Phillips’ film

According to the The Hollywood Reporter (via Variety), Nolan would have prevented Phillips finished Joker with the character tearing up his face to make a smile. Facial scars would be the Joker’s trademark. Ledger in The Dark Knight. That’s why, Nolan I didn’t want that Phillips do the same in the version lived by Phoenix.

Following the film, Joker: Delirium for Two (2024), the director got one of his characters to tear up his face to make a smile since Nolan is no longer associated with Warner Bros.