The Dark Knight Star Michael Caine Reveals His Reaction To Heath Ledger's Joker

Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" Trilogy benefits from some seriously stellar casting, and among the clearest bullseyes it hit was the decision to cast Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth. The British veteran has the exact right screen presence to match — and, when necessary, one-up — the specific energy Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne has, and more than enough gravitas to tell off the billionaire vigilante in a way that's utterly believable. 

As a winner of two Academy Awards, Caine has been around the block as an actor and seen some seriously great performances. Still, even he had to do a double take when the trilogy's true MVP entered the game. "The Dark Knight" remains Heath Ledger's best movie, thanks to his magnificent portrayal of the Joker. Caine's Alfred famously delivers the iconic description of the Joker and others like him in "The Dark Knight" (2008), and in his memoir "Don't Look Back, You'll Trip Over" (via Entertainment Weekly), the actor described his first impression on Ledger's take on the villain ... and revealed that his "Some men just want to watch the world burn" line was incredibly apt:

"As Alfred says to Bruce, 'Some men just want to watch the world burn,' and that was Heath's version of the character: the smeared make-up, the weird hair, the strange voice. It was chilling. Absolutely floored me the first time I saw him in action — I was terrified!"

Michael Caine wasn't the only person who got caught off guard by Heath Ledger's performance. Impressively, Ledger's Joker voice simultaneously scared and impressed Christopher Nolan, who, as the man who trusted him with the role, surely must have had an inkling of what the "Brokeback Mountain" and "A Knight's Tale" star could do with it. Christian Bale's first scene with Ledger's Joker was the incredibly physical interrogation scene, and the Batman actor went on to sing Ledger's praises for his qualities as a dedicated performer and a genuinely delightful person when he was not on the Joker clock.

Caine agreed with Bale's assessment about Ledger's nature as a thoroughly pleasant man. In fact, he wrote in his memoir that this very quality initially caused him to wonder whether the younger actor had what it takes to portray the devious "The Dark Knight" villain. He also took a moment to analyze how the late Ledger (who died of an accidental overdose in 2008 and won a posthumous Oscar for the role in 2009) was able to make his version of the Joker work: 

"He was a lovely guy, very gentle and unassuming. I wondered how he was going to play the Joker, especially as Jack Nicholson's take had been so iconic. Brilliantly, Heath ramped up the character's psychotic side rather than going for one-liners. His Joker was deeply, deeply warped and damaged, though you never find out exactly why, or what he's really looking for."

The results speak for themselves: Ledger's take on the Joker remains iconic.