7. Sid Vicious
According to Christian Bale, Ledgers performance took direct inspiration from quite an unlikely source: the Sex Pistols bassist and punk icon Sid Viscious (source:
Telegraph). Ledger wanted to create a more anarchic and unpredictable Joker than anything that had ever been seen, and in terms of look and the mannerisms, he clearly emulated Vicious heavily on screen. But perhaps there was no better inspiration for such a character than a genuine symbol of the sort of anarchy Ledger was looking to bottle for his performance. Apparently when researching the role of The Clown Prince of Crime, Ledger would watch videos of Sid Vicious in performance and in interviews, studying how the musician moved and spoke; Ledger was clearly interested in bringing anarchic verisimilitude to his Joker, in portraying a character who was at once both dramatically interesting and subtly realistic. Check out the clip of Vicious below, ignore the British accent, and note the anarchic mannerisms, the coldness in tone and the unflinching manner in which he discusses violence, which juxtaposes totally with the weirdly engaging way he delivers the sentiment. It really isnt hugely far from Ledgers Joker: http://youtu.be/DlVmZ77DoAM