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Results tagged “The Dark Knight” from iVillage - Movie Insider
AP Entertainment caught up with some moviegoers after they watched The Dark Knight in New York. See what they had to say about the film:
Christian Bale, the star of the latest Batman film, The Dark Knight, is an actor. A serious actor. And so, when my fellow reporter friends warned me that Christian only likes to talk about "the craft," I listened.
Thus, when it came time for me to interview Christian Bale, I did my best not to get lost in his dreamy green eyes and sexy accent, and I spoke with him about Bruce Wayne, Batman and the acting process.
In other interviews I'd heard Christian say that what Batman does is not good for Bruce Wayne, and the things Bruce does is never good for Batman. So I wondered, what would happen if Bruce Wayne wasn't a playboy and instead was a normal, nice guy?
Christian answered: "He couldn't really do it because without Batman he'd have this crazy rage within him and it would have to be let out somehow. So you know he needs this other character of the Batman in order field the rage and be able to act responsibility in regular civilized society."
And what about his process getting into the role of the Batman in The Dark Knight, having already learned so much about the character in Batman Begins?
"Well it was very nice... I knew it very well. I played it for seven months; this was like going on the 8th month. I knew the crew, I knew Chris [Nolan], I knew the other actors very, very well. And this is a continuation. It's an evolution. He's matured. You know this is now like the angry old man aspiring to some kind of power to be good. This is somebody with responsibility of having that power and the complicated decisions he has to make and the ethical dilemmas he's involved in."
The only ethical dilemma I had? Whether or not to hug Christian before he continued to walk down the "black carpet" at the world premiere. For the sake of keeping my job I chose not to, though if he had donned the bat suit, I'm not sure I could have held back.
Thus, when it came time for me to interview Christian Bale, I did my best not to get lost in his dreamy green eyes and sexy accent, and I spoke with him about Bruce Wayne, Batman and the acting process.
In other interviews I'd heard Christian say that what Batman does is not good for Bruce Wayne, and the things Bruce does is never good for Batman. So I wondered, what would happen if Bruce Wayne wasn't a playboy and instead was a normal, nice guy?
Christian answered: "He couldn't really do it because without Batman he'd have this crazy rage within him and it would have to be let out somehow. So you know he needs this other character of the Batman in order field the rage and be able to act responsibility in regular civilized society."
And what about his process getting into the role of the Batman in The Dark Knight, having already learned so much about the character in Batman Begins?
"Well it was very nice... I knew it very well. I played it for seven months; this was like going on the 8th month. I knew the crew, I knew Chris [Nolan], I knew the other actors very, very well. And this is a continuation. It's an evolution. He's matured. You know this is now like the angry old man aspiring to some kind of power to be good. This is somebody with responsibility of having that power and the complicated decisions he has to make and the ethical dilemmas he's involved in."
The only ethical dilemma I had? Whether or not to hug Christian before he continued to walk down the "black carpet" at the world premiere. For the sake of keeping my job I chose not to, though if he had donned the bat suit, I'm not sure I could have held back.
Most people know by now that renowned actor Michael Caine has been knighted. Thus, he is now known as Sir Michael Caine. This, of course, means he should be greeted with the proper respect, correct?
Well, when I saw Alfred the Butler walking down the "black carpet" at The Dark Knight premiere, he reminded me of an adorable grandfather, which apparently made me feel extra comfortable with him. And so, straight to his face, I called him Michael. No "Sir" included. Just "Michael."
I could have slapped myself immediately, but it was too late. Luckily, the brilliant actor acted as if he didn't notice, and continued on chatting with me. I, however, will never forget the occasion when I thought I was on a first name basis with Sir Michael Caine.
Moving on... You'd think for a man who's been in the movie industry for almost 55 years that playing a butler would be no big deal.
Not true for Sir Michael. He gives as much energy to Alfred the Butler in The Dark Knight as he gave to his Oscar-winning roles in The Cider House Rules and Hannah and Her Sisters.
How so? As Alfred's history isn't presented in the film, Sir Michael has created his own back story for the character:
"I didn't want him to be just an ordinary butler. I wanted him to be very tough. So I made him an ex-SAS sergeant... He got wounded and worked in the officers' mess which is how he learned to do drinks and cocktails and be a butler. And Bruce Wayne turned up in the officers' mess and he saw him and he wanted a really tough butler and so he took him."
And though there are other huge stars in The Dark Knight—Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart, to name a few—don't expect Sir Michael Caine to get star struck.
"It was the older ones. I once found myself in Danny Kaye's kitchen eating dinner with Cary Grant. That was quite an evening. I've been in Hollywood 40 years. It'd have to be a very big star to strike me."
Can you blame him?
Well, when I saw Alfred the Butler walking down the "black carpet" at The Dark Knight premiere, he reminded me of an adorable grandfather, which apparently made me feel extra comfortable with him. And so, straight to his face, I called him Michael. No "Sir" included. Just "Michael."
I could have slapped myself immediately, but it was too late. Luckily, the brilliant actor acted as if he didn't notice, and continued on chatting with me. I, however, will never forget the occasion when I thought I was on a first name basis with Sir Michael Caine.
Moving on... You'd think for a man who's been in the movie industry for almost 55 years that playing a butler would be no big deal.
Not true for Sir Michael. He gives as much energy to Alfred the Butler in The Dark Knight as he gave to his Oscar-winning roles in The Cider House Rules and Hannah and Her Sisters.
How so? As Alfred's history isn't presented in the film, Sir Michael has created his own back story for the character:
"I didn't want him to be just an ordinary butler. I wanted him to be very tough. So I made him an ex-SAS sergeant... He got wounded and worked in the officers' mess which is how he learned to do drinks and cocktails and be a butler. And Bruce Wayne turned up in the officers' mess and he saw him and he wanted a really tough butler and so he took him."
And though there are other huge stars in The Dark Knight—Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart, to name a few—don't expect Sir Michael Caine to get star struck.
"It was the older ones. I once found myself in Danny Kaye's kitchen eating dinner with Cary Grant. That was quite an evening. I've been in Hollywood 40 years. It'd have to be a very big star to strike me."
Can you blame him?
Once you see The Dark Knight (it comes out July 18), come back here and let me know: Was The Joker (Heath Ledger) more essential to
making the film a success than the caped crusader (Christian Bale) himself?
Heath's performance was truly remarkable. One minute he was so creepy as The Joker that he'd give you nightmares, and the next minute he'd cause you to fall off your movie theater seat from laughter. Heath went so deep into the character that it was hard to remember that an actor was playing the part. All the audience sees on the screen is a complete lunatic in the form of The Joker.
When I asked producer Charles Roven about the difference in pace between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, he attributed the majority of the Dark rollercoaster ride to Heath.
"There's a character in this story, The Joker, who kind of is, as [director and writer] Chris Nolan calls him, a shark. He just moves through the movie and he carries a lot of weight with him... As dark a character as Heath plays, he's compelling and charming and you can't take your eyes off him and you want to watch him and he does funny things."
Even Gary Oldman (Commissioner Gordon), who has portrayed numerous villains in his career, was fully taken aback by Heath's performance.
"It is one of the scariest. It's so psychological and kind of creepy. I haven't seen a villain like this or a bad guy like this since Dennis Hopper played Frank Booth in Blue Velvet. Remember that scary performance? This out scares Hannibal Lecter."
As for voting for Heath for an Oscar, Gary said, "I'm singlehandedly starting a campaign. I think there's a posthumous Oscar for Heath. He's got every chance of winning it."
Once you've seen the movie, tell me what you think. Would this movie have been so incredible without Heath Ledger? Could Heath have played another villain besides The Joker? Should he win an Oscar for his role? And, lastly, who was more important to the film: Batman or The Joker?
Heath's performance was truly remarkable. One minute he was so creepy as The Joker that he'd give you nightmares, and the next minute he'd cause you to fall off your movie theater seat from laughter. Heath went so deep into the character that it was hard to remember that an actor was playing the part. All the audience sees on the screen is a complete lunatic in the form of The Joker.
When I asked producer Charles Roven about the difference in pace between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, he attributed the majority of the Dark rollercoaster ride to Heath.
"There's a character in this story, The Joker, who kind of is, as [director and writer] Chris Nolan calls him, a shark. He just moves through the movie and he carries a lot of weight with him... As dark a character as Heath plays, he's compelling and charming and you can't take your eyes off him and you want to watch him and he does funny things."
Even Gary Oldman (Commissioner Gordon), who has portrayed numerous villains in his career, was fully taken aback by Heath's performance.
"It is one of the scariest. It's so psychological and kind of creepy. I haven't seen a villain like this or a bad guy like this since Dennis Hopper played Frank Booth in Blue Velvet. Remember that scary performance? This out scares Hannibal Lecter."
As for voting for Heath for an Oscar, Gary said, "I'm singlehandedly starting a campaign. I think there's a posthumous Oscar for Heath. He's got every chance of winning it."
Once you've seen the movie, tell me what you think. Would this movie have been so incredible without Heath Ledger? Could Heath have played another villain besides The Joker? Should he win an Oscar for his role? And, lastly, who was more important to the film: Batman or The Joker?
The suave Aaron Eckhart effortlessly plays Harvey Dent, the Gotham City District Attorney in the latest Batman flick, The Dark Knight.Aaron not only does a great job of portraying Dent, but he also looks the part. He has the face and demeanor of a smooth and charming politician. As comic book readers know, however, Harvey doesn't remain Harvey for too long, as he soon transforms into the corrupt villain, Two-Face. The name Two-Face, comes, of course, from the fact that half of his face becomes disfigured by acid. And even when Aaron shows his new appearance, audiences can't help but to feel an attraction to his character, because he lets just enough of Harvey's presence shine through. It's what makes Aaron so great in the role.
We got the scoop on how Aaron was able to transition between the two characters so flawlessly:
"I think the pain that Harvey/Two-Face feels comes from how he experienced himself as Harvey Dent. So I was really happy to get the opportunity to let the audience know where Harvey/Two-Face comes from, so they could have some empathy or understanding of why he is what he is. Why he's doing what he's doing. I was happy to do that in this movie whereas otherwise he would have just come out of the gate having the Harvey/Two-Face attitude. I really enjoyed playing Harvey Dent, the guy in the courtroom wheeling and dealing."
Would you pick Harvey Dent over Batman? Find out what Maggie Gyllenhaal had to say!
Maggie Gyllenhaal, who plays Bruce Wayne's (Christian Bale) childhood best friend Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight, proves she's just like every other woman out there: She wants a normal guy as the man in her life.
In Batman Begins we learned that Rachel felt as though she couldn't be with her true love Bruce Wayne while he was playing the role of the Batman. This is why, in The Dark Knight, she chooses to be with politician Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckhart. At last night's "black carpet" premiere, I had to ask Maggie: What girl doesn't want to be with a superhero?
"Well you know, I think it's complicated. I do think that when Rachel, in this movie, finds herself face to face with Batman she's weak in the knees. It works its wonders on her, and it did on me too. I think it's very appealing in many ways. At the same time, if you're really going to fall in love with somebody, you don't want them to be dressed up in a funny costume and risk their life every night flying around the city. And who knows if they're going to come back dead the next day. It's a reasonable thing to be concerned about."In Batman Begins we learned that Rachel felt as though she couldn't be with her true love Bruce Wayne while he was playing the role of the Batman. This is why, in The Dark Knight, she chooses to be with politician Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckhart. At last night's "black carpet" premiere, I had to ask Maggie: What girl doesn't want to be with a superhero?
Thus Harvey Dent swooped into Rachel's life, though as fans know, it's never easy for a woman to leave Batman in the dust.
"I think she really loves them both equally," Maggie said. "But I think they each have different things on each other. I think she's trying to figure out who is more honorable. I think part of what she thinks is sexy in a man is someone who's got honor. I think they're both trying to do good and I think they're both doing it in very different ways and she's trying to figure out which way she thinks is really most honorable."
When I asked Aaron Eckhart what he had on Batman in this love triangle, all he could do was laugh. Even guys know it's hard to beat out the superhero!
