Playing the Bad Guys

This Friday, Heath Ledger will appear on screens across the world even though he passed away from an accidental drug overdose several months ago. His final film role will be one which already has many critics and experts proclaiming will ensure him at the very least an Oscar nomination. What is astounding about this fact is not so much the fact that the honor would be bestowed posthumously, but that the role garnering the nomination is actually based on a comic book character. Heath Ledger, in case you didn't know, will be starring as the Joker in the sequel to the hit film "Batman Begins" and from all accounts, his portrayal is so disturbing and unique from Jack Nicholson's 1989 portrayal of the same role that many believe that he will have created the most lasting and definitive version of the villain on the movie screen.

What amazes me about this fact is not so much the fact that Heath Ledger is playing the part, but that so many big name actors these days and indeed some of the most sought after roles in Hollywood and elsewhere are the villainous ones. I couldn't figure out why but in thinking about it, I realized that part of it has to do with our deeper desire to understand something that is generally so alien in thought to the rest of us that these types of portrayals give us some insight into the character. Take for example the Joker. His origins in the comics have changed over the years as have his characterizations. Back in the 1960's on the campy television show, the Joker was just that.... a joker. Sure he had evil plans and all but he rarely did anything that seemed menacing. In fact the most menacing thing he ever did was to threaten to kill Batman and Robin in a slow moving death machine which was clearly too cheap to hurt a gnat let alone the Bat.

Later versions of the character, no doubt influenced by the rise in psychological profiling of criminals led to characterizations of the Joker as someone demented and twisted with such a vile sense of humor that it was scary to even consider being in the same room as this person. The Joker took on a life and became such a deeper character that there was more to the portrayal than simply laughing hysterically and jumping up and down wearing funny clothes. Sure that's still a part of the character, but there's a deeper meaning to it all. I'm sure we'll see these nuances in the performance of Ledger's Joker when the film opens. As an actor, I'm sure he found the challenge in wanting to bring true menace to someone who seems so comical but has a twisted rationale for everything he does. It makes the character that much more complex to play.

Although Batman is probably one of the more complex heroes to play, the motivation of heroes is something we come to understand quite easily. We are raised (for the most part) to accept a certain set of ideals and traits that are considered to be the norm for society. Most heroes suffer some loss that leads to their drive to do good and though it can be a difficult road, it's one that most of us can relate to. We can understand why a hero becomes a hero when we see how their motivation comes to pass. Whether it's the loss of close family or some other personal tragedy, heroism is the most obvious outcome. But for villains, this motivating factor can sometimes lead to other outcomes. Case in point is Darth Vader. When the original "Star Wars" trilogy was released, Vader was accepted as the villain without a doubt. Though there was always that underlying hope that he would listen to Luke and come to the light side of the Force again, there was always that acceptance that he was evil. Not so once the prequel trilogy was released.

Once we saw what motivated this character into becoming evil, though the movies may have dumbed it down or downplayed it to appeal to kids, we understood why someone could be so seemingly good and yet turn to evil when everyone in the audience was screaming for them to be good. Vader / Anakin Skywalker is like a tragic hero whereas someone like the Joker may have suffered tragedy but was likely already in that mindset. When that mystery remains it makes it all the more compelling. But when we see that motivation and change happen right in front of our eyes as we will supposedly see with the transformation of Aaron Eckhart's character from good upstanding district attorney Harvey Dent into the villain Two-Face, maybe again we'll understand why someone so good can end up being bad. Perhaps that's why so many actors and actresses are keen on playing the villain, it helps us realize that the only difference between good and evil is a truly thin line.