HEATH Ledger's journey into dark places may have begun a year ago while locked up in a London hotel room.
To prepare for his role as the Joker in this summer's Batman sequel, "The Dark Knight," the actor spent six weeks alone, formulating his take on the insane villain by experimenting with different voices, laughs and postures.
He also kept a journal of the Joker's psychology. On one page was a list of things the villain might find funny, including "AIDS."
Although Ledger said the Joker was "the most fun" he had ever had playing a character, in light of his death, many fans are left to fixate not on the film itself, but on the tragedy. Could the stress of playing a maniac have contributed to the actor's demise?
"It was an exhausting process," Ledger told MTV. "At the end of the day, I couldn't move. I couldn't talk. I was absolutely wrecked."
This exhaustion led him to begin taking Ambien. "Last week, I probably slept an average of two hours a night," he told The New York Times in November. "I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going."
"The Dark Knight," prior to Ledger's death, was sure to be among the top earners of the summer (along with the fourth Indiana Jones movie). Now with the added attention, it's likely to rake in even more.
It's little comfort to Ledger's fans, but at least the actor will live on in ticket buyers' nightmares
