No matter why it was created, it definitely enriched the character.
At this point, we as an audience know various acting tricks and methods to get into the role. With almost every hit movie, the actors rush to explain in detail what their characters are and how they brought the magic of cinema to life. This knowledge is greatly appreciated not only by the budding actors but also by the very curious viewers.
However, not everyone is in a hurry to reveal all their secrets. Especially not ones that aren’t supposed to be great acting methods but were added by accident.
Perhaps one of the most interesting (and utterly unforgettable for fans) is Heath Ledger’s habit of licking his lips as the Joker.
Of course, Ledger’s portrayal of the villain, with or without lip licking, was so good that it sent chills down the viewer’s spine several times throughout the film. However, there was something about the fact that he kept drawing attention to his bright red clown mouth that made it even creepier.
Well, it turns out that was never in the script. But neither was it improvisation driven by an actor’s creative vision itself.
As simple as that is, the reason Heath Ledger kept licking his lips was more practical: he just had to wear his makeup.
For Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, Joker had to wear his signature facial scars, and for that the makeup team had to use prosthetics over Heath Ledger’s real face. While it certainly fixed the gaze, it often got too loose when he spoke.
In order to keep the prosthesis in place and not reshoot everything, the actor had to lick his lips and secretly use his tongue to push the prosthesis back into place.
It might not be the right look for any other role, but there’s no quirk too much for the eccentric clown. Also, thanks to Heath Ledger’s talent, the film looked so natural you might even forget that neither Jared Leto’s Jokers nor Joaquin Phoenix’s really do the same.
If you’re feeling nostalgic and want to revisit your favorite Joker by rewatching The Dark Knight, you can stream the movie on Hulu, MAX, and Amazon Prime Video.