Long before The Dark Knight reshaped the new superhero movie landscape and became widely regarded as one of the best superhero movies of all time, Heath Ledger's casting as the Joker was met with widespread skepticism. Fans questioned if the actor, best known for romantic dramas and character-driven performances, could pull off one of DC’s most iconic villains. The doubt feels almost absurd looking back on it now, but at the time, it was a pretty common consensus. Well, turns out, the Brokeback Mountain lead was catching shade, although jokingly, from some of his own Dark Knight co-stars for landing the part of the clown prince of crime.
The castmate in question was David Dastmalchian, who played one of the Joker’s henchmen in Christopher Nolan’s film. In a wide-ranging interview with Collider, Dastmalchian reflected on his career in genre films and on working alongside Ledger during a pivotal moment in superhero movie history. According to the Late Night with the Devil star, when he first met the Brothers Grimm veteran performer on set, he couldn’t resist poking fun at the casting choice. He explained:
