Actors Who Never Recovered From Their Most Distressing Roles

Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight

Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight landed him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, but Ledger never got to claim the award. He passed away suddenly in 2008. The actor was only 28 years old.

Ledger pushed himself further than he had ever gone for a role. In the years following his passing, it was speculated that the mental and physical exhaustion of preparing for the role had contributed to Ledger's demise. Members of his family vehemently disagree with this theory—but it's hard to deny that Ledger may have embodied the Joker beyond the point of return.

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The More You Know

  • Nestlé supplied 1,850 bars of real chocolate for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
  • Jim Caviezel was struck by lightening while he was on the cross in, Passion of the Christ.
  • Hugh Jackman went without water for 36 hours before filming the opening scene of 'Les Miserables.'
  • For 'Fight Club' (1999), Brad Pitt had pieces of his front teeth chipped off to play Tyler Durden. He also took soap-making classes, boxing, taekwondo, and grappling lessons with Edward Norton to prepare for the role.
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