Michael Caine's Only Confidence In The Dark Knight Came From Heath Ledger's Casting

While "The Dark Knight" is still one of the most beloved comic book movies of all time, it's a common critique that it wouldn't be so special without Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker. Ledger elevated the role to an absurd degree, and his role elevated the movie along with it. Although most "Dark Knight" fans are frustrated with that common hater refrain of, "this movie's nothing without Ledger," fans of Ledger can't help but be a little reassured: even when someone's absolutely trashing the film, they usually still can't bring themselves to trash on his performance, because he's just that irreproachable. 

For Michael Caine, who played the beloved butler Alfred Pennyworth throughout the whole Dark Knight trilogy, it was Ledger's involvement that helped ease his initial concerns. Before that, he was worried that any attempt to make a Batman film based around the Joker would fall flat compared to 1989's "Batman," which at the time was often considered the definitive take on the character. "When Chris [Nolan, the director] called me [about The Dark Knight] I asked, 'Who's the villain?' He said, 'The Joker.' I thought, 'Oh, Jack Nicholson, who's going to top that?'" Caine told Empire Magazine back in 2009. "I thought for a moment 'We're in trouble here, that's not a great decision. You don't try and top Jack.'"

But once he found out who was playing the Joker, Caine apparently changed his tune. As he explained, "I asked Chris, 'Who's going to play it?' and he said 'Heath!' I thought: 'Now that's the one guy that could do it!' My confidence came back."

In 2023, that reaction of Caine's makes perfect sense. Back in 2006, however, it was a bit more surprising. Before "The Dark Knight," Heath Ledger was most famous for smaller-stakes romantic films. He played a bad boy love interest in the 1999 film "10 Things I Hate About You," and he played a charming gay cowboy in 2005's "Brokeback Mountain." 

The latter in particular was treated as a strike against him by a lot of comic book fans, as the film's queer storyline made it the subject of a lot of mockery and homophobic parodies in mainstream media. "I won't be able to watch it. I'll keep expecting him to have sex with Batman. YUCK!!!" read one commenter at the time of the announcement, and he was hardly alone in the sentiment. It wasn't until footage from the film started being released, and fans could finally see what Heath Ledger looked and sounded like in the role, that the tide started to shift. 

It all goes to show that when it comes to casting actors for any particular part, the fans don't always know what's best. It's why Bella Ramsey's casting as Ellie in HBO's "The Last of Us," which sparked outrage on account of the actress not looking that much like the character from the game, also quieted down the moment we got to actually see her perform. Sometimes it's best to trust that the casting directors have seen something we haven't, that there'll be more to the actors' performance than just what we've seen in their films so far. The next time a surprising performer gets picked for a famous comic book role, let's try to be more like Michael Caine in our response.