Ledger 'one of greatest ever film villains'

An Oscar buzz surrounded the late Heath Ledger today as his fellow actors backed him for a posthumous award for his portrayal of the Joker.

Michael Caine told reporters at 'The Dark Knight' premiere in New York that he would be “very surprised” if Ledger did not win an Oscar for playing “one of the greatest villains you’ve ever seen”.

A black carpet in Ledger’s honour was in place outside the cinema in New York last night and his co-stars lined up to pay their tributes.

Caine, who plays butler Alfred in the film, said: “He is so wonderful in it and he’s such an integral part of it.

“I mean, he’s the villain and he’s one of the greatest villains you’ve ever seen. He’s up there with Hannibal Lecter, literally.”

Asked about the possibility of a posthumous Oscar, the British actor said: “I think a nomination, definitely. Whether he gets the Oscar or not I don’t know, but I would be very surprised if he didn’t.”

He went on: “The humanity of it, and the ferocity of it, and the fact that you believe it.

“You’ve got a man there, with a big red gash for a mouth, whose mouth has been cut wide open when he was young, he’s got white make-up on, and he’s the most vicious killer – and he’ll make you laugh as well.”

Bookmakers William Hill have cut their odds from 12-to-1 to 3-to-1.

Christian Bale, who plays Batman, said: “He does a fantastic performance. He’s really created an iconic portrayal of the joker. I think it outdoes any previous portrayal.”

Talking about Ledger, he added: “He’s a wonderful character, great company. I expected to be friends with him for many years.

“It’s tragic he’s not here but I’m here to see his talents celebrated and I hope that everybody will.

“I miss him dearly and I hope people will see this and celebrate his talent.”

And Maggie Gyllenhaal, who plays Rachel Dawes in the film, said: “When I first saw it the first time, when I first saw him I felt... I felt upset. He’s so good in the movie. He’s incredible in it. It’s so difficult to talk about. It’s not an easy thing to sum up. I think he’s great.”

She went on: “Being around someone, acting with someone like that, is really inspiring and fun.”

Members of Ledger’s family, including his father, Kim, who live in Australia, also attended the screening.

Ledger, who was nominated for an Academy Award for 'Brokeback Mountain' in 2006, died aged 28 of an accidental drugs overdose at his home in New York in January.

He would become the first actor to win a posthumous Oscar since Peter Finch won for 'Network' in 1977.

The Dark Knight’s director, Christopher Nolan, said: “I feel very excited with so much anticipation around the film. But obviously that in itself is somewhat daunting.

“The film has a lot to live up to now so hopefully we’ve done it right, but that’ll be for the public to decide at the end of the week.”

He went on: “One of the things that’s very exciting for me is showing the film and getting it out there. I’ve known for a long time how great his performance of the Joker is.

“And now other people are getting a share of that and I’m really excited - they seem to be responding in the way he would have intended.

“I think the performance is really outstanding and stands out in a group of other really incredible performances.

“But you really have to see it. It’s hard to sum up. It’s very frightening, it’s very intense, but it’s also very funny, so witty. It really has to be seen.”