Adrien Brody talks about losing iconic Joker role in Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”

• Adrien Brody shared his audition for the Joker role in “The Dark Knight” (2008).
• Despite being considered, Brody wasn’t close to landing the role.
• Brody praised the film’s enduring legacy and described the role as a dream.

Adrien Brody recently shared his experience auditioning for the iconic role of the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” (2008). Ultimately, Heath Ledger secured the role and delivered a legendary performance that earned him a posthumous Oscar as the Clown Prince of Crime.

On Josh Horowitz’s podcast, Adrien Brody revealed that filmmakers considered him for the Joker role but admitted he wasn’t close to landing it. While missing out on the part didn’t bother him, he praised Heath Ledger’s “indelible” performance.

Brody reflected on his audition process for the role, stating, “I wasn’t close. It was a role I felt very suited for.”

He praised Heath Ledger’s performance, saying, “Heath did such a remarkable job in that movie. It was indelible. Such beautiful work.”

The “Brutalist” star, who won his first Golden Globe on January 5, 2025, also credited Christopher Nolan for having a groundbreaking vision for the Batman franchise. He said, “Any actor with an edge would want to delve into a character like that, especially with a filmmaker like Christopher Nolan, who brought such a profound vision.”

Brody praised the film’s enduring legacy, calling it a “mind-blowing” piece of cinema that raised the bar for superhero storytelling. He described the role as a dream.

He said, “Nobody was doing that at the time. There was nothing like that. Christopher Nolan’s work and what he gave actors in that was such a revelation. It was mind-blowing to see. That would have been such a dream role, and I’m sure it was for Heath.”

In addition to Adrien Brody, Joaquin Phoenix revealed in an interview with “Variety” that he had discussed the Joker role with Nolan but wasn’t ready at the time. Phoenix later took on the role in a different iteration of the character in *Joker* (2019) and its sequel, both of which received critical acclaim.

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