10 Comic Book Movie Performances ONLY Made Possible By Intense Method Acting

2. Heath Ledger Locked Himself In A Hotel For A Month (The Dark Knight)

Though a lot of sensationalist spiel has been written about Heath Ledger's method performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight contributing to his death, it's important to remember that Ledger finished shooting his role several months before he died.

However, Ledger's commitment to the role was undeniably first-rate all the same, sealing himself away from society in order to get into the Clown Prince of Crime's demented headspace.

Ledger said of the preparation period, "I sat around in a hotel room in London for about a month, locked myself away, formed a little diary and experimented with voices."

Following Ledger's death, there was intense speculation about the contents of his "Joker diary" and how deeply he truly entrenched himself within the character. A few years ago, Ledger's father revealed aspects of the diary, namely that the actor glued pictures of his influences inside, along with writing all of his dialogue down and eerily scrawling "Bye bye" on the last page.

In spite of Ledger's tragic demise, the role remains by far the most acclaimed performance in the history of comic book movies, winning Ledger a well-earned posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.