.::BATMAN-ON-FILM.COM -- Nolan, Bale, & Gyllenhaal Talk TDK (3/19/08)::.

6:29 AM CENTRAL: MTV.COM recently posted some really good video interviews with Chris Nolan, Christian Bale, and Maggie Gyllenhaal in which the trio talked quite a bit about THE DARK KNIGHT. Here's a rundown of some of the more interesting stuff...

Nolan on editing TDK after Heath‘s death: “It was tremendously emotional, right when [Heath] passed, having to go back in and look at him every day. But the truth is, I feel very lucky to have something productive to do, to have a performance that he was very, very proud of, and that he had entrusted to me to finish.”

Bale on Heath as The Joker: “Heath has given an incredible performance [as The Joker], a real definition of the character that I think will be incredibly memorable for years to come. I want to do nothing but celebrate his work.”

Nolan on his fave scene in the film: “There is a pretty amazing meeting of the minds between Batman and The Joker in the middle of the film that we haven't wanted to show to people yet. We want to save that for the movie. It's very much an acting scene, but I would be lying if I said it was a purely verbal smack down.”

Maggie on her fave scene in the film: “I did a scene where I get to interrogate a bad guy as a lawyer, trying to break a witness, and I had a blast shooting that scene. I've always wanted to play a lawyer in a courtroom, and I got to do that a little bit here.”

Bale on doing a second BATMAN: “We have progressed from an angry young man trying to come to terms with his own pain and starting on an endeavor which he believes to be finite, [to] somebody who's attained that power, and is now having to recognize the responsibilities that come with it. We had no interest in making a second unless we believed that we could surpass and improve on the first.

I've not seen [THE DARK KNIGHT], but from working on the movie, the feeling was that absolutely we surpassed that.”

Nolan on TDK and Heath's Joker: “I would say the Bruce Wayne character is a lot closer to Harvey Dent than the Joker. [Dent] is very relatable to Batman, and he certainly makes that point himself in the movie….The Joker is an absolute. He is a force of evil and anarchy. He just cuts through the movie like the shark in JAWS or something. This is not a guy with an arc, and it's not about his origin. This is just the rise of The Joker to power through the criminal underworld of Gotham. He's a pretty terrifying figure.”

“A lot of [The Joker] came from Heath himself and conversations we had very early on. We talked about Alex in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE we talked about Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious, having a younger approach to The Joker, really tapping into what can be threatening about a guy like this. It seemed that the youthful-anarchy idea [worked best]. It is that fear of a teenager, the fear of the rebel in society that some of these people embody and that gave us the idea of having a little bit of a punk aesthetic to it.”

“It's so not Heath Ledger; it is The Joker. He just inhabits it. It's riveting to watch this incredible performance. I am very proud to work with him on this. I know he was very proud of the role, and I am very excited to show it to people. I think they are going to be blown away.”