To find a real hospital to film the Joker's explosion scene, the crew had one person to thank—Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy from Vermont.
This man absolutely loved "Batman," a hardcore superfan. He had once done a voiceover for the "Batman" animated series and wrote a foreword for a "Batman" novel. During the early planning of The Dark Knight, he had taken the initiative to contact Duke, strongly requesting a cameo appearance.
Duke understood clearly that reaching this point in his career meant he couldn't avoid dealing with politics. So he granted this state senator a chance to appear on-screen.
His scene had already been shot—it was the part where the Joker crashes Bruce Wayne's fundraiser for Harvey Dent, grabs the throat of that upright old man who dares refute his insane logic.
The senator's fanboy dream was fulfilled, and in return, he helped the crew out. When he learned they were looking for a suitable hospital, he used his influence and status to quickly arrange access to a hospital in Vermont. This hospital, scheduled for demolition, quickly signed a contract after Charles Roven visited and negotiated just once.
Soon after, Duke brought Joce Williams' pyrotechnics team along with Heath Ledger and other actors to Vermont.
Standing in front of the hospital building, Duke watched as Joce Williams commanded the members of the pyro team, busily installing explosives and wiring. It had been a long time since Duke had staged such a massive explosion scene. In recent years, explosion sequences were either shot with models or created using CGI in post-production.
"Duke, if The Dark Knight ever needs help with anything…"
Senator Patrick Leahy from Vermont stood next to Duke. "Don't hesitate to ask."
Duke thought for a moment, then straightforwardly invited him, "Patrick, if you're free in May next year, you're welcome to attend the premiere of The Dark Knight in Chicago."
"I'll definitely be there!" Patrick Leahy vowed earnestly.
No matter what, this was a marketing point. Duke knew very well that if he wanted The Dark Knight to be a huge success, he couldn't afford to miss any promotional opportunity.
Over there, Joce Williams gestured toward Duke, who turned to the senator and said, "The explosion prep is almost done. Let's step back."
The two of them moved away from the hospital building that was about to be blown up. Duke handed Patrick Leahy over to Charles Roven for hosting, then found Heath Ledger, who was already suited up, and called Joce Williams over again.
"Heath, this is a live explosion."
It would be unrealistic to find another suitable hospital to blow up again. Since Heath Ledger didn't have prior experience with this, Duke gave him special instructions. "The explosion might feel a bit intense. You need to control your body."
Unless someone has experienced it, they can't imagine how they might react. Some people might get completely freaked out by the sheer force of the blast and the trembling ground.
Heath Ledger's ghostly white Joker face cracked into a sinister grin. "Joce and I have done plenty of tests. It'll be fine."
Duke nodded and then said to Joce Williams, "The explosion won't happen all at once. Time it with Heath's movements."
"Got it…" Joce Williams gave Heath Ledger a thumbs-up. "No worries."
This was a very special explosion scene—unlike those popularized in Hollywood or even across the globe.
In countless films, the hero always walks away coolly after a big explosion, never even glancing back at the blast behind them.
In other words, the so-called "real man never looks back at explosions."
Although Duke had produced plenty of similar scenes, the explosion orchestrated by the Joker was different—especially when it involved a Joker dressed as a nurse. You couldn't restrict it with the usual movie logic.
"Props ready!"
"Lighting ready!"
"Camera ready!"
"Aerial filming crew ready!"
"..."
"Pyrotechnics ready!"
Hearing Joce Williams' final confirmation, Duke gave the command to start filming.
"The Dark Knight, Scene 104, Take Two," the clapperboard operator stood in front of the camera lens, "Action!"
Wearing a nurse outfit, Heath Ledger skipped out of the hospital building toward the nearby vehicle. The people around the car, upon seeing Gotham's most terrifying figure, fled in panic.
Behind the Joker, explosions erupted one after another. Countless glass shards and building debris flew into the air, but the blast was relatively modest—only some temporary structures were destroyed, while the main hospital building remained intact.
The explosions suddenly stopped. The Joker, who seemed just as uninterested in looking back at the blasts, paused and turned his head, seemingly confused about why the explosions had stopped. He spun around in place, then shrugged helplessly and looked down at the remote control in his hand.
He pressed and smacked the remote a few times. Suddenly, a massive explosion rang out. Crimson flames and thick smoke surged into the sky. As if startled by the blast himself, Heath Ledger turned back to look at the fireball while sprinting toward the car ahead.
More explosions erupted—this chain reaction of blasts was as chaotic as the Joker himself. Eventually, the hospital building was reduced to rubble.
Patrick Leahy removed his earplugs and stared wide-eyed at the wreckage across from him. It was his first time witnessing such a massive explosion. The scene was absolutely stunning an entire hospital turned into a pile of rubble in a fiery blaze…
No wonder they called him the "Explosion Maniac"! he thought to himself. To witness such a scene firsthand, helping the crew was absolutely worth it.
"Great!"
It was done in one go. Duke also stood up and let out a sigh of relief, first shouting toward the pyrotechnics team, "Nice work, Joss!"
Then, he turned to Heath Ledger. "You did well too."
It was only then that Duke noticed Heath Ledger's hand trembling as he took the towel from his assistant. His whole body seemed to be shaking slightly. The assistant assigned to him quickly helped him walk over to the trailer.
This wasn't unexpected—Duke's team was already used to working in front of explosions, but Heath Ledger, who had previously only worked in teen and art films, had never experienced anything like this. It was totally normal for him to be frightened.
But his self-control was truly impressive. He didn't show any fear in front of the camera.
There were still some remaining scenes, which Duke handed over to Anna Prinz to shoot, while he watched the aerial footage of the explosion captured from a helicopter.
From the panoramic view, the explosion was indeed astonishing, perfectly meeting his expectations.
Then, he reviewed some footage of Heath Ledger. He had to admit, this explosion scene was utterly deranged and bizarre.
Filming in Vermont lasted only three days before wrapping up. After leaving a team behind to clean up and take care of finishing work, Duke led the crew back to Los Angeles.
Though Christmas was just a few days away, Duke was still busy filming. According to his plan, he aimed to finish all the studio scenes before the holiday. After the Christmas break, the crew would regroup in Chicago to shoot the remaining exterior scenes.
Of course, the showdown between Christian Bale's Batman and Heath Ledger's Joker was the highlight of the entire film.
"In an earlier scene, you had a line that said when people are about to die, they show you who they really are."
Inside the building set at the Hughes Aircraft plant, Duke was directing Heath Ledger beside him. This scene had already gone through several takes. "That's actually a very precise observation. Simply put, when someone's about to die or even if they don't die in the end they reveal their true selves."
"So, when Batman throws you off the building, you don't care at all." Duke was treating Heath Ledger completely as the Joker. "As you're about to fall to your death, you're still laughing. That creates a terrifying feeling, because the Joker isn't afraid of death. He even finds it funny."
"I think…" Heath Ledger nodded earnestly. "I think I get it."
Duke then turned to Christian Bale and said as he passed by, "Do your best, Christian."
Once all departments were ready, filming resumed.
As the Joker fell off the building, he was saved by Batman. He burst into manic laughter, "You just couldn't let me die, could you? You really are incorruptible, aren't you? You won't kill me because of your misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you, because you're just too much fun. I think we're destined to do this forever!"
Christian Bale, dressed as Batman, leaned over and stared at him. "Forever... is you spending the rest of your life in a padded cell."
Heath Ledger responded nonchalantly, "Maybe we can share one. You see, this city is full of crazy people. One day, there'll be enough for two in every room."
Christian Bale looked into the distance, as if he was seeing the two boats that hadn't exploded. "This city just showed you that it still has people who believe in justice."
"Until their spirit completely breaks. Until they see the real, beautiful Harvey Dent, and all his so-called heroism." Heath Ledger let out the Joker's signature laugh again. "You didn't actually think I'd risk losing the soul of Gotham by betting everything on a fistfight with you, did you? You need an ace up your sleeve. My ace… is Harvey Dent!"
"What did you do?" Christian Bale asked angrily.
"I took control of Gotham's White Knight, and brought him down to our level. It wasn't hard at all…"
Batman defeated the Joker, but he lost the battle for Gotham's soul.
Before Christmas arrived, Duke wrapped up all the studio filming and gave the crew a break. He himself went to New York and spent Christmas at his home there.
...
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