Folie à Deux’ Bombing, Andrew Garfield Shares a Fresh Story of the OG Heath Ledger

The big screens have been bustling lately, crammed with performances that aim to be unforgettable, though some are best forgotten. While a few stars have already claimed their wins, others seem determined to drag iconic franchises like Joker: Folie à Deux down with them. Meanwhile, Andrew Garfield waits in the wings, reflecting on Heath Ledger’s explosive portrayal of the Joker, a brilliance that still casts a shadow over Gotham’s latest cinematic catastrophe.

In a twist of irony, Garfield finds himself discussing Ledger’s bombastic Joker just as Folie à Deux sets a new standard for flopping while admitting how he himself has made an effort at practising his greatness.

Andrew Garfield remembers Heath Ledger

As Andrew Garfield steps into another pair of emotionally weighted shoes for his role in We Live In Time, the actor has been candidly discussing his acting journey so far, and this brought him to the priceless time he spent on The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus set with Heath Ledger. In his interview with Josh Horowitz, the actor recounted how he had worked with Ledger right off The Dark Knight. Garfield remembered the actor with unmeasurable fondness as he laughed and said “He was so smug about it,” referring to Heath Ledger’s confidence in his portrayal of Joker.

Garfield spoke about how Heath Ledger was the kind of actor that believed in channeling whatever came and specifically referred to it as the “beacon” sort of method. Yet to cement his position in the industry at that time, the kind of energy was infectious for a young Andrew Garfield who, according to his own admission, was worried about looking good rather than having fun with the scene at hand. This is contrary to where he stands now, willing to cite even immensely personal struggles if it means doing justice to the role.

Not only was Andrew Garfield inspired by Heath Ledger as he saw him perform, but also took tidbits of the same and incorporated him into his own performance.

Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man was inspired by Heath Ledger’s Joker

While auditioning for any role is no easy feat, auditioning for the role of a superhero, especially one that is spandex-clad, is a whole different story. And Andrew Garfield, despite all the greatness that he oozes, is but human. Therefore, as he slung his shot at Spider-Man the actor revealed that he was a nervous wreck and ultimately what worked for him was the “beacon” method where he would simply open the channel and allow things to flow instead of being nit-picky about every detail.

The impact of Heath Ledger in the realms of cinema is not an unknown tale, with almost everyone being in awe of either his performance or the persona he held off the screens. However, for Andrew Garfield, it holds a much deeper place, as it allowed him to breathe with his characters and ultimately nail them.

What do you think about Andrew Garfield’s statement about Heath Ledger? Let us know in the comments below.