The late Heath Ledger won an Oscar for playing the Joker in "The Dark Knight" for good reason. His committed performance brought the iconic comic book to character to life in the most terrifying way imaginable.
Ledger passed away in January 2008, unfortunately unable to see the remarkable impact his performance had.
A clip from the documentary "Too Young to Die" has surfaced, and it gives a brief glimpse into Ledger's method for immersing himself in the Joker's madness.
This clip reveals the diary Ledger kept as he prepared for the role, which Ledger's father Kim looks through. To prepare to play Batman's greatest foe, Ledger locked himself up in a hotel room and then in his apartment for around a month.
The diary says a lot about both how Ledger felt during those days, as well as his many influences for the part.
In the notebook, an image of a hyena is visible:
Perhaps this inspired his laugh, which often has a hyena-like quality to it:
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