People reports:Heath Ledger's family attended Monday's The Dark Knight premiere in New York, where the late actor's father left the theater giving a thumbs-up sign. As his father Kim left, he was asked how it felt to attend, responding with the thumbs-up. He also told reporters it was "very good." Heath Ledger's costars, meanwhile, used the occasion to pay tribute to him. "Working with Heath was fantastic," said Christian Bale, 34, who reprises his role as the Caped Crusader. "He steals the movie and I'm quite happy to say that. He's a hell of a talent and created a joker that's very iconic and one that will become a classic portrayal of the ages." READ MORE
Christian Bale had an interview with Matt Lauer on NBC's The Today Show this morning and slammed the negative media attention Heath has received regarding his role as The Joker in the new film The Dark Knight:
So much was made of Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker. It was such a dark role. In some way, perhaps, do you think in real life, it caused him to slip across some line of reality and may have had some role in his accidental death? Personally, I find it to be a complete lack of understanding of acting. I also find it very rude to try to create some kind of sound bite for such a tragedy. The man was a complex man, a good man, but you know what? I saw him having the best time playing The Joker. He was someone who completely immersed himself in his role. As do I. But in the end of the day, he was having a wonderful time doing it, He couldn’t have been happier doing it.
H/T: Just Jared
