there won’t be any spoilers contained in this entry, worry not.
as a trained actor, i have criticism built into me; thus, i am the most critical (though non-judgemental), person you might ever meet. and though i voice my opinion when i think someone has done a shoddy job portraying a role, i more often dote upon those whom have completely knocked my socks off.
there was, of course, huge hype over heath ledger’s portrayal of the infamous villain, “the joker”, but it is something you have to see for yourself to understand. it is almost scary just how brilliant ledger is in this role. he made the joker likeable and more complex than one could ever think possible. i think villains, in general, are quite purposeful with their intentions. there’s a reason why they’ve gone mad and there is a driving force that has causes them to act in such manners. and most times, we–nay,i–would gladly like to see the villain punished for their behaviours…for causing such harm. but… i didn’t feel that way about the joker.
that being said, that’s not why i thought ledger’s performance was brilliant. while it adds to it, there is an aspect (that i’m sure many actors might be in agreeance with me), that ledger mastered with an uncanny ease. i’m not sure how to word it properly, so i’ll give examples: 1) when i see brad pitt in a movie, he does a certain mannerism with every single one of his characters (which is something he probably does in real life), and it’s this thing with his mouth. and every time i see him do this, i remember it’s brad pitt playing this character. i’m in no way discrediting pitts’ performances, but on one hand, it makes him, dare i say, average. very good, but average. 2) i think a goal for an actor is to get to a point where it doesn’t look like they’re acting anymore. basic concept, yeah? along with this, and perhaps a bit more challenging, is for an actor to completely engulf themselves in everything that would encompass their character. because after they get to that point, all decisions, reactions, mannerisms are no longer theirs. the way they see things is no longer through their own eyes but through their character’s. everything they do from thereon out becomes natural.
and that’s exactly what ledger did, and again i say, with quite an uncanny ease. he became his role, which is what all actors attempt to do, but i think it is easier said than done. he was… brilliant. absolutely brilliant.
