Leonardo DiCaprio and Joaquin Phoenix Turned Down the Joker in The Dark Knight

Heath Ledger was not the first actor considered for the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Longtime Nolan casting director John Papsidera said at the Nashville Film Festival that Leonardo DiCaprio and Joaquin Phoenix were offered the role but declined it.

According to Papsidera, the script was sent to DiCaprio first, but he did not respond. The offer then went to Phoenix, who told Nolan and Papsidera he was not interested in making big movies at the time. Ledger was eventually cast.

DiCaprio later starred in Nolan’s Inception and has called The Dark Knight his favorite of the director’s films. Phoenix went on to play the Joker in the 2019 film Joker, a different interpretation of the character from Ledger’s version.

Sources: IGN.